Palsgaard (Juelsminde / Demark; www.palsgaard.com), a Danish manufacturer of plant-based polymer additives, has announced the opening of a 10,000 t/y pellet line at its site in Juelsminde, boosting capacity for its “Einar” brand.

“We are seeing a fast-growing demand among consumers, brand owners, packaging designers and plastics manufacturers for more natural materials to reduce fossil depletion and waste,” said Ulrik Aunskjær, Palsgaard’s global industry director for non-food business development, polymer additives. “Our expanded production capacity meets these requirements by boosting the availability of food-grade, plant-based surfactants and modifiers for polymer manufacturers and compounders.”

The company said the expansion of the pellet line also meets the needs of compounders and processors who may wish to add specific Einar products directly to polymers rather than as part of a more complex masterbatch formulation. This particularly applies to the use of anti-static additives for food and other packaging applications where Palsgaard said the pelletised products enable a clean and straightforward process.

Einar plant-based anti-fog and anti-static additives are said to be available in several grades tailored to film, injection moulding, foam and coating processes for a wide range of plastics, including polyolefins, PVC, PET and engineering resins. The portfolio also includes slip additives, ageing modifiers, mould-release agents and dispersing aids. The suppler notes that all the products have full food-contact approvals from the EU and the US Food and Drug Administration.

Palsgaard, which also produces food emulsifiers, operates in 17 countries with some 570 employees. Turnover in 2019 was quoted at USD 218m (EUR 179m).