INTERVIEW WITH GREENMANTRA

GREENMANTRA is the first company in the world to upcycle challenging plastic waste streams into specialty additives and waxes for the plastic and asphalt industries.  

The vision for GREENMANTRA is to be a global CATALYST FOR SUSTAINABLE IMPACT, contributing to solving plastic waste and carbon footprint global issues by enabling customers to go farther, be better & do good things for their businesses and the planet.

Easy Engineering: What’s the news about new products?

GREENMANTRA: In bitumen applications, GREENMANTRA’s CERANOVUS® specialty waxes enhance the performance of bitumen for paving and roofing applications, and lower the paving temperature and energy demands of the asphalt system. These specialty waxes deliver sustainable value by improving the thermal and physical properties of bitumen. Addition of 2% CERANOVUS specialty wax – either as a straight additive or used in combination with SBS – creates a stiffer, more robust mixture that demonstrates improved rutting performance and less fatigue damage. These benefits translate into cost savings through reduced pavement thickness, improved asphalt coverage, and overall lower energy requirements – allowing manufacturers to improve their bitumen products AND lower their overall carbon footprint.

In plastic processing applications, GREENMANTRA’s CERANOVUS additives are the world’s first sustainable plastic processing aids manufactured from 100% recycled content. They offer a unique value proposition to the plastic convertors by allowing increased operational efficiency, improved product performance, and enhanced sustainability profile. Addition of 2% of CERANOVUS during the manufacturing process of plastic products increases production output by 30% while allowing equivalent or better mechanical properties and surface quality. Furthermore, manufacturers can achieve decreases in overall costs and carbon footprint due to the incorporation of higher recycled content.  

E.E: What are the ranges of products?

GREENMANTRA: GREENMANTRA’s CERANOVUS® product range consists of CERANOVUS® A polyethylene and polypropylene waxes for asphalt roads and roofing applications and CERANOVUS® PN specialty polymer additives for plastic applications

The main characteristics of CERANOVUS® A and PN polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) additives for asphalt roads and roofing applications are summarized below.

Density (according to ASTM D1298):

  • 0,92 to 0.94 g/10min for PE waxes
  • ~0,9 g/10min for PP waxes

Drop point (according to ASTM D3954):

  • 116 to 126 °C for PE waxes 
  • ~155 °C for PP waxes
  • Viscosity (at 140°C, Brookfield)
  • 225 to 2025 cps for PE waxes
  • ~75 cps for PP waxes

E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?

GREENMANTRA:

Asphalt

According to Industry ARC Consultancy, the polymer modified bitumen market size is forecasted to reach USD 14 billion by 2026, after growing at a CAGR of 8% during 2021-2026. Market growth is driven by ongoing construction projects and the increasing demand for sustainable infrastructure and road pavements around the world. Polymer modified bitumen is widely used in road construction and roofing, due to advantages such as superior properties, durability and sustainability enhancement. 

To support the growth of the construction and infrastructure industries, while contributing to reduction of plastic pollution, GREENMANTRA utilizes its advanced recycling technology to modify the molecular structure of recycled plastics to create specialty waxes additives that enhanced bitumen and asphalt performance.  

CERANOVUS polyethylene waxes are derived from 100% recycled plastics and are specially designed for compatibility with liquid asphalt binders.  The waxes uniformly blend into asphalt binders under low shear mixing conditions and remain storage-stable with no additional compatibilizers, stabilizers, or special mixing required.  Once incorporated, the waxes provide improved resistance to rutting and cracking, resulting in a more robust, resource efficient mixture with reduced fatigue damage. 

Plastics

According to Fortune Business Insights, the global recycled plastic market share size is projected to reach USD 72.6 billion by the end of 2026. The increasing concerns surrounding global warming and environmental pollution due to excessive plastic usage has led to a subsequent demand for recycled material. The plastic industry is increasingly seeking ways to incorpo­rate more recycled content into their polyethylene and polypropylene products to meet sustainability goals while maintaining the integrity and performance of finished products. Incorporating higher levels of recycled content in plastic compounds and finished prod­ucts can enable lower formulation costs combined with en­vironmental benefits.

CERANOVUS specialty additives are sustainable processing aids that enable the incorporation of higher levels of recycled plastic into polyethylene and polypropylene compounds and products due to their ability to deliver a unique combination of enhanced flowability, operational efficiency, and environmental benefits.

E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?

GREENMANTRA: Both the asphalt and plastic industries are aiming to decrease their carbon footprint and to deliver on the promise of sustainability and circularity. GREENMANTRA’s CERANOVUS products are  made of 100% recycled plastic and have a reduced CO2 profile by up to 75% when compared with traditional virgin processing aids. These unique waxes support both asphalt and plastic industries by improving the performance of our customers’ products and processes, providing them lower formulation costs and a more efficient manufacturing process, while also enhancing the sustainability profile of their products in multiple way.