Responding to COVID-related medical demands, Chandra Asri develops clarified random polypropylene for use in medical syringes

JAKARTA,Indonesia,Oct. 18,2021 -- PT Chandra Asri Petrochemical Tbk,Indonesia's largest integrated petrochemical company,has risen to the occasion,developing a new grade of polypropylene (PP) designed to meet the stringent medical requirements for syringe applications.

Medical Syringe

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Indonesia,as it has nearly every other country globally,putting severe strain on the nation's healthcare system and its medical products supply chain. The situation has required extraordinary measures to help address soaring demand for products such as medical syringes.

Chandra Asri hosted a webinar in late 2020 on "PP Rigid Applications in Indonesia," and the event attracted hundreds of attendees,mostly representing plastic molders and brand owners. The company surveyed the webinar's attendees about their top three needs or requirements related to high melt flow,clarified,random PP resin. The replies from the majority of respondents suggested that the three top goals of any such resin are high clarity,a fresh (non-yellow) look,and increased productivity for the processor.

Drawing on this insight,Chandra Asri collaborated with long-time supplier Milliken & Company,whose polymer additives are used to enhance and extend the performance properties of resins such as polypropylene.

Resin for syringe useneeds to flow more easily. By incorporating Milliken's Millad® NX® 8000 additive,the partners developed Trilene RI20HC02 — a clarified,random copolymer PP grade with a higher MFR of 20g/10min. This enabled Chandra Asri in the first quarter of 2021 to start producing and supplying resin to this critical market,which expects to need 1 billion syringes in Indonesia alone.

"This material'shigher melt flow,combined with the fact that it can be processed at a lower temperature,helps boost the molder's productivity while also reducing energy use," notes Supriyanto Andreas,Chandra Asri's general manager of technical service and product development. Trilene RI20HC02 also offers gamma irradiation resistance while meeting the UV absorbance requirement of Japan Pharmacopeia,18th Edition,for polypropylene containers for aqueous injections.

Zach Adams,global product line manager for Millad NX 8000,notes that using Milliken's additive in the new grade's formulation produces a resin with superior clarity for accurate syringe dosing. "Additionally," he said,"the energy savings documented by incorporating Millad NX 8000-clarified resins also allows the customer to display the UL eco-label on the packaging." These Environmental Claim Validations help to differentiate products in the marketplace by providing third-party verification that they are assustainable as they claim to be.

"At Chandra Asri,we are proud to be leveraging our innovation to provide much-needed support to Indonesians and to the market in general during these difficult times," added Hendra Gunawan,the company's general manager of polymer sales. "In addition to its targeted use in syringes,Trilene RI20HC02 also is finding use in clear food-storage containers," delivering the same strong performance properties to yet another application.

About PT Chandra Asri Petrochemical Tbk

PT Chandra Asri Petrochemical is Indonesia's largest integrated petrochemical company producing Olefins and Polyolefins. With a history of over 29 years and over 2.000 dedicated staff,the company incorporates state-of-the-art technologies and supporting facilities located strategically in the country's petrochemical hub,Cilegon and Serang. As a Growth Partner,Chandra Asri is committed to creating high-value jobs,expanding the domestic petrochemical value chain,and serving the needs of the vibrant and growing Indonesian market. For more information,visit www.chandra-asri.com.