Riverdale Global (Aston, Pennsylvania / USA; www.riverdaleglobal.com) has a new liquid additive called “+Restore” that it says reduces the polymer degradation taking place during melt processing. The additive “substantially” increases physical property retention in regrind as compared with unmodified material, Riverdale says.

The additive has exhibited positive results with recycled resins such as polyolefins, according to technical sales manager Jared Arbeter. Reground polypropylene containing +Restore showed 65% greater Izod impact strength than unmodified regrind, and improvements were also achieved with PP copolymer and HDPE.

The new additive can be used alone or in a blend with liquid colours. Plastic processors can use +Restore to enhance the properties of virgin materials, but Riverdale notes that “the most dramatic results are exhibited in recycling.”