Austrian masterbatch producer Gabriel-Chemie (Gumpoldskirchen; www.gabriel-chemie.com) has developed an HBCD-free flame retardant concentrate for use in XPS insulation boards. Gabriel-Chemie said this will enable insulation producers to switch to an ecologically sound solution more than six months ahead of Europe’s sunset date when HBCD will be banned under REACH regulations. Other Austrian producers reportedly made the switch in January this year – see Plasteurope.com of 16.01.2015.

The new "Poly-FR" will ensure XPS insulation boards can comply with the relevant European fire safety standards, even with low masterbatch dosage, the company noted.

One insulation manufacturer using Gabriel-Chemie’s expertise in flame retardants is Austria’s Austrotherm (Waldegg-Wopfing; www.austrotherm.at). Its managing director, Gerald Prinzhorn, commented: "Working in close collaboration with the development team from Gabriel-Chemie has resulted in an effective Poly-FR-based solution. This enables us to continue to offer products in our usual high quality independent of new regulatory requirements."

The masterbatch has been formulated so that the active flame retardant does not degrade from the temperatures that occur during producing and recycling the foam boards.