Recycling technology firm GreenMantra Technologies recently launched new grades of polymer additives made from recycled plastic for wood composite (WPC) lumber.
Brantford, Ontario-based GreenMantra debuted new grades of its Ceranovus-brand additives at the Deck Expo 2018 trade show on Baltimore. Ceranovus A-Series polymer additives can provide WPC makers with formulation and operational cost savings, GreenMantra officials said in a news release.
They added that since the materials are made from 100 percent recycled plastics, they increase the sustainability of a finished product. "Industry trials, combined with third-party testing, validate that Ceranovus polymer additives generate value for WPC manufacturers who are seeking to lower overall formulation costs and improve operational efficiency," senior vice president Carla Toth said in the release.
In WPC lumber, Ceranovus polyethylene and polypropylene polymer additives can increase strength and stiffness and allow formulation flexibility and broader feedstock selection to offset virgin plastics, officials said. Ceranovus A-Series polymer additives and waxes are certified by SCS Global Services as being made with 100 percent recycled post-consumer plastics.
Ceranovus polymer additives are also used in polymer-modified asphalt roofing and roads as well as in rubber compounding, polymer processing and adhesive applications. GreenMantra has received numerous awards for its technology, including an R&D100 Gold Award for Green Technology.
In 2017, GreenMantra received $3 million in funding from the Closed Loop Fund, an investment effort supported by major retailers and brand owners to help companies and municipalities with their recycling efforts. GreenMantra officials said at the time that the investment would be used to increase its production capacity by 50 percent.
GreenMantra was founded in 2011 and is owned by a consortium of private investors and two venture capital funds — Cycle Capital Management of Montreal and ArcTern Ventures — that invest in firms with promising clean technologies.