CELLULOSE ACETATE GRANULES

As previously said, Cellulose Acetate is a natural polymer obtained from vegetable cellulose, the most widely spread organic compound in nature. By reacting cellulose with acetic anhydride Cellulose Acetate is obtained. Plasticizers are then added to Cellulose Acetate to improve its physical characteristics and workability.

Traditional plasticizer used for Cellulose Acetate has been replaced by a plasticizing solution of vegetable origin, thus making M49 a bioplastic with a remarkable bio-based content.

Raw materials used in M49 formulation are Cellulose Acetate deriving from wood and a plasticizer based on citric acid ester mainly derived from vegetable starch and bioethanol.

The quantity of product deriving from renewable sources is expressed as a percentage and provides an indication of how much part derives from renewable sources and how much from fossil sources.
The reference test is ASTM D6866: an analytical method developed to measure renewably-sourced content of solids, liquids, and gaseous samples using ¹⁴C radiocarbon dating.
With this method the Percent Modern Carbon (pMC), or organic carbon, derived from biomass, is distinguished from carbon deriving from fossil fuels since the latter is devoid of the ¹⁴C isotope.

M49 has undergone this analysis and the content of natural origin reaches 68%.

The Cellulose Acetate used by Mazzucchelli for M49 comes from wood whose cultivation and harvest are managed according to the guidelines of the Association for the responsible management of forests - Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

FSC is an international non-governmental organization established in 1993. The Responsible Forest Management certification released by this organization ensures that a forest or plantation is managed in compliance with rigorous environmental, social and economic standards valid throughout the world.

The degree of biodegradation of M49 exceeds 90% already after 115 days of incubation and is therefore biodegradable (according to the UNI-EN-ISO 14855-2: 2018 standard).

According to the International Organization for Standardization, the term biodegradable is used to define any material that can be broken down by the enzymatic activity of microorganisms, sunlight and other environmental physical agents, into simple chemical compounds such as water, carbon dioxide and methane. Biodegradation is influenced by the chemical nature of the material to be biodegraded and by the biodegradation environment. In order to define a plastic material as biodegradable, the degree of biodegradation must reach 90% in an incubation time of no more than 6 months.

Acetate Renew is the flake used to produce our granules and is made through Eastman's innovative Carbon Renewal Technology, which consists of breaking down plastic waste into primary molecules for the synthesis of more complex organic molecules.

In other words, plastic waste, instead of being sent to landfills, is treated by Eastman and reconverted into Syngas, a mixture mainly composed of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, and from these elements other primary chemical products are synthesized which, in the case of Cellulose Acetate, is acetic anhydride.

Cellulose Acetate flake is to be considered sustainable at 60%, a percentage which corresponds to the cellulose content. The remaining 40%, in fact, consists of Acetic Anhydride of fossil origin. With Acetate Renew the degree of sustainability has reached 100%, since 40% of recovered Acetic Anhydride has been added to the 60% of cellulose. Moreover, using Acetate Renew reduces by 20% – 50% greenhouse gas emissions.

Acetate flake and the granules produced using this new technology are neither physically nor chemically different from traditional ones.
In other words, there is no chemical or physical-mechanical test capable of distinguishing the two products. Therefore the only possibility to have a certain traceability of using products made of Acetate Renew is through a mass balance.

In order to prevent any false declaration, the mass balances along the entire supply chain, flake – granules – finished products, must be certified by an independent body. In our case it was decided to use ISCC, an international organization created with the aim of certifying sustainable processes for the environment.

The natural and renewable content of M49, evaluated according to the criteria of the ASTM D6866 analysis, reaches 68% (There may be slight deviations due to formulation or process). Thanks to the addition of recycled content, the percentage of sustainability reaches 96%.

Granules have unlimited coloring possibilities, not only in terms of tone. In fact, our granules have different opacities, ranging from transparent to solid colors, you can have pearly colors as well as fluorescent ones.

In addition to the color, here below you may find the list the features that make this product unique:

• Clearness and brightness
• Good impact resistance
• Excellent electrical insulation properties
• Excellent chemical resistance to oils and grease
• Very good resistance to light and ageing
• A pleasant touch and a self-smoothing surface
• Excellent acoustical qualities and sonority close to that of the wood