GLYCERINE AS A "GREEN" PLASTICIZER IN PAN

Among the various plasticizers that can be used in the PAN fusion process is glycerin and its derivatives with fatty acids, such as glyceryl mono-di- or tri-stearates, glyceryl phosphate and glyceryl carbonate, among others. This means that the use of this renewable, cheap, and low environmental risk raw material can make the PAN fiber production process more economical and sustainable.

The availability of glycerin at a low price is a worldwide trend and is expected to expand due to the use of biodiesel to replace fossil fuels.

Due to this availability of glycerin on the market at a very low price, its use in the plasticization of polymers, such as PAN, is very advantageous.

In this sense, IGTPAN has been researching for years the use of glycerin for the purpose of using it as a plasticizer in PAN copolymers for the production of thermoplastic resins called THERMPAN, which can be used in extruders, either for the production of fibers or any other type of format.

The feasibility of using glycerin in PAN plasticization has already been proven at IGTPAN, which has developed pilot equipment to produce fibers by melt spinning and has already received the right to two patents in Brazil.

Glycerin as a plasticizer will not replace the current PAN spinning processes, since the fibers obtained by the thermoplastic process do not have the same qualities for textile application, especially in terms of color, which, as a thermal process, generates yellowing of the obtained fiber. But on the other hand, by using glycerin as a plasticizer, it is possible to produce an enormous number of products containing PAN, which do not currently exist and need to be studied.

A major advantage of using glycerin in PAN plasticization is that because it is very soluble in water, it can be easily removed from the fibers by washing, restoring the fibers in the same composition as the original copolymer, as if they were produced by wet spinning. In this way these fibers can be suitable for carbon fiber production as well.

Here are some advantages of using glycerin as a plasticizer in the production of PAN fibers:

• Increasing production in the world, in the order of 2.3 million tons per year.

• Low cost in the range of US$ 150 / ton

• It has no toxicity to humans, animals, and plants as it enters the constitution of living organisms.

• High rate of biodegradation and does not generate toxic waste.

• It is derived from biomass that fixes atmospheric carbon dioxide from photosynthesis.

• It is soluble in water and can be easily removed from fibers by washing.

• Can replace toxic solvents such as dimethylformamide (DMF) and dimethylacetamide (DMAc) in fiber production.

• Acting as a plasticizer, simpler spinning and conformation equipment such as extruders can be used.

• Acting as a plasticizer, you can produce PAN formats that do not exist on the market, such as monofilaments, films, tubes, plates, tapes and many other types.