Recently, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), a global diversified chemical company, launched a new line of bio-based ULTEM™ resins last month, adding sustainability benefits to the superior performance and processability of existing ULTEM materials. This breakthrough polyetherimide (PEI) material is the industry's first certified renewable, high-performance amorphous high heat resistant polymer. On a mass balance basis, for every 100 kg of ULTEM resin produced, about 25.5 kg of raw material comes from bio-based materials derived from waste or residues (e.g. crude tall oil from the wood industry) as a replacement for the original fossil-based raw materials. The new bio-based ULTEM resin brings a ready-to-use material solution to help customers achieve sustainability goals in consumer electronics, aerospace, automotive and other industries that require high temperature resistance, dimensional stability or harsh mechanical properties.
Our new bio-based ULTEM resin platform helps customers seamlessly integrate sustainable solutions into their demanding applications," said Scott Fisher, business director for ULTEM resins and additives at SABIC. Since these products perform identically to conventional ULTEM resins and meet the same regulatory standards, such as UL94 and FDA food contact standards, this means that customers no longer need to make adjustments to product design and manufacturing processes. In addition, this range of materials offers excellent environmental benefits and has been awarded ISCC+ certification (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification), thus representing another innovative milestone in SABIC's strategy to achieve circularity in material solutions."
Reduce carbon footprint
The new bio-based ULTEM resin has been awarded the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC+) for reducing its carbon footprint by up to 10% compared to existing grades of fossil-based materials. The certification is based on an internal assessment based on ISO 14040/14044 Life Cycle Analysis (which passed an internal review based on SABIC LCA quality control standards). SABIC uses its own data for cradle-to-gate comparisons of these resin materials, as well as the latest manufacturing data and industry average estimates. In addition, the bio-based ULTEM resins comply with the requirements of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation and the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS).
Maintaining superior performance
The bio-based feedstock used in the new ULTEM materials does not alter performance characteristics, including long-term heat and chemical resistance, excellent mechanical and structural properties, dimensional and hydrolytic stability, superior processability and inherent flame retardancy," said Greg Stoddard, director of technology and innovation at SABIC. With the same reliable mechanical properties as their fossil-based counterparts, bio-based ULTEM grades can be used as an alternative to conventional ULTEM resins or sulfone polymers such as PSU, PESU and PPSU." Potential markets and applications for this family of resins may include industries such as consumer electronics (wearables and mobile devices), automotive (under the hood (UTH) applications such as connectors, sensors and valves), aerospace (interiors such as panels and trim), healthcare (surgical devices and sterilization trays) and electrical/electronics (5G network infrastructure). Meeting the regulatory requirements of these industries, the new ULTEM materials comply with global drinking water standards, federal aviation regulations (FAR 25.853) and food contact material standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
