BASF reports that it is now offering the world’s first biomass-balanced polyethersulfone (PESU; poly(oxy-1,4-phenylsulfonyl-1,4-phenyl)). The Ultrason® resins are amorphous and transparent thermoplastics derived from polyethersulfone (PESU), polysulfone (PSU) and polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) and offer very high resistance to heat.
With Ultrason® E 2010 BMB, fossil feedstock is replaced with renewable alternatives from waste-based resources and attributed to the product via a certified biomass balance approach. The resulting biomass-balanced (BMB) grade has a lower product carbon footprint (PCF) compared to the standard BASF material by using renewable feedstock and 100% green electricity in a resource-efficient process in the production plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany.
This high-performance plastic supports various industries like household, automotive, medical device manufacturers, E&E connectors and consumer electronics. Polyethersulfone, for example, is gaining popularity as a material for manufacturing baby products, especially baby bottles. Traditional polycarbonate plastics have been linked to health risks due to their bisphenol A (BPA) content.
As a drop-in solution, the BASF PESU is identical to the standard grade in properties, quality, and certification for, e.g., food and water contact. As a result, customers do not need to requalify their applications made of Ultrason® E 2020 BMB or adapt their existing manufacturing processes for injection molding or extrusion.
BASF also offers its Ultrason® customers transparency by providing Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) data to support them in evaluating the PCF of their own products. For this, the company has developed a digital tool to calculate the cradle-to-gate PCF of its products. The PCF includes all greenhouse gas emissions from raw material sourcing to production until the product leaves the factory. This is verified by third-party certification, ensuring compliance with standards like ISCC PLUS.
- BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany
