Shell Chemical Company Discovery Helps To Eliminate PEN Fluorescence

Business Wire, Oct 6, 1997

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 6, 1997--Shell Chemical Company announced at Bev-Pak, Munich, Germany, it has discovered that certain common additives can significantly reduce or eliminate the visual fluorescence often associated with naphthalate containers.

Most of the additives are commonly available and can be less expensive than PEN, thus adding no raw material cost to the final bottle. Because they essentially prevent the absorbance of the UV spectra, the additives do not affect the mechanism of the PEN automatic sortation.

"While no marketers of products packaged in PEN have discovered any negatives due to the fluorescence of PEN, the ability to eliminate it removes one more obstacle that new marketers may have using PEN resins," said Ed Sisson, commercial development manager, Polyester Business, Shell Chemical Company. "The additional benefit is that the additives provide a way to address the fluorescence question raised about PEN in the recycle stream. Since some of the additives and their analogues are already used in PET bottles in the United States today, there should be little reason to expect that their use will negatively affect recycling applications."

Unlike other solutions which require copolymerization of expensive monomers, this solution is readily available relying on additive or analogues already used in some PET bottle applications today, and can be added by either the polymer manufacturer, bottle manufacturer, or recycler.

For more information on Shell Chemical Company's HiPERTUF (TM) Polyester Resins, contact: Ed Sisson, commercial development manager, Polyester Business, 4040 Embassy Parkway, Suite 220, Akron, Ohio 44333-8354, 330/798-6413. Visit Shell's Web site at www.shellchemical.com .

CONTACT: BRSG, Houston

Cindy Hasler, 713/781-6666

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