Plasticizers – Benefits, Trends, Health, and Environmental Issues
What are plasticizers and what are their benefits? Plasticizers are colorless and odorless esters, mainly phthalates, that increase the elasticity of a material (e.g., polyvinylchloride (PVC)). Plasticizers soften the PVC to make it flexible and bendable. This opens up a huge range of possibilities for new applications.
Natural-based plasticizers and biopolymer films: A review
Natural plasticizers used in biodegradable films from biomass products (polysaccharide-, protein-, and lipid-based films) or other films obtained by extraction of micro-organisms. Refs. Soybean oil (SO), epoxidized soybean oil (ESO), dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and triethyl citrate (TEC) 6.1.
Title: A Review on Plasticizers and Eco-Friendly Bioplasticizers
Plasticizers are chemical additives added into polymers to influence desirable mechanical properties such as processability and ductility. These properties are a result of the association of...
EcoFriendly Plasticizers IHS Chemical - IHS Markit
Plasticizers are organic esters, which is compounded into polymers to facilitate processing, and to improve flexibility and toughness of the final products through internal modification of the polymer morphology. Commercially, about 90% of plasticizers consumption is accounted for by the application for flexible polyvinylchloride (PVC).
Plasticizers - Chemical Economics Handbook (CEH) | S&P Global - IHS Markit
Mainland China is the singlelargest plasticizer market in the world, accounting for over half of world consumption in 2025; it also has the highest forecast consumption growth during the next few years, spurred by increased plasticizer consumption in goods for both domestic and export markets.
- What are biodegradable plasticizers?
- Biodegradable plasticizers such as soybean oil (SO), epoxidized soybean oil (ESO), dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and triethyl citrate (TEC) were added to poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) films, enhancing their thermal and mechanical properties. TEC or DBP presented better plasticizing effects than SO and ESO for PHBV .
- Are bioplasticizers biodegradable?
- Bioplasticizers are less synthetic chemicals and are biodegradable. In wire applications, the use of bioplasticizers was able to reduce carbon emissions by up to 40%. Plasticizers are the most common plastic additives. The production of plasticizers from vegetable oils is slowly replacing the plasticizers produced by petroleum products.
- What are natural based plasticizers?
- Nowadays, there is increasing interest in the use of natural-based plasticizers that are characterized by low toxicity and low migration. This group includes epoxidized triglyceride vegetable oils from soybean oil, linseed oil, castor-oil, sunflower oil, and fatty acid esters (FAEs) .
- Are bioplasticizers a sustainable alternative to fossil-fuel based plasticizers?
- Conclusion To sum up, bioplasticizers present a significant opportunity as an eco-friendly and sustainable substitute for conventional fossil-fuel-derived plasticizers, enhancing polymer flexibility. Their biodegradable nature and low toxicity make them suitable for a variety of uses, including food-safe packaging and medical devices.
- Is bioplasticizer a good alternative to plasticizers?
- The bioplasticizer, when incorporated into a PLA film at 1.0%, exhibited high tensile strength, tensile modulus, and an elongation percentage of 22.21 MPa, 12.29 MPa, and 22.74%, respectively, highlighting its potential as a practical, eco-friendly alternative to traditional plasticizers (Narayana Perumal et al., 2023). 7.6.3. From lignin
- What is a plasticizer?
- In general, plasticizers can be defined as low molecular weight (between 300 and 600) , high boiling point materials which are added to a film-forming polymer to enhance its flexibility, durability, processability, and workability . Their addition can avoid shrinking during storage , and in some cases reduce costs .
