GEON® Ristar™ PVC compounds for use in Riser Applications Go Non-Brominated Phthalate

Challenge

Historically, Bis (2-ethylhexyl) tetrabromophthalate or TBPH, a highly effective flame-retardant plasticizer, has been used in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) polymers formulations to help suppress flame propagation and to meet UL 444/UL 1666 requirements. Recently, The European Chemical Agency (ECHA) added TBPH to their list of REACH SVHC (Substances of Very High Concern). This prompted several of GEON’s OEM partners/customers, which manufacture communication wire & cables for sale in both North America and Europe, to request TBPH free versions of the current PVC compounds used in extremely flame-retardant jacket riser (CMR) applications over PP/PE or FRPP/FRPE inners (insulation).  GEON® was tasked to develop PVC formulations that meet the following Critical to Quality (CTQ) Requirements:

• Non-TBPH formulation
• Meet UL 444/UL 1666 requirements for category communication cables used in vertical shafts
• Formulate specifically for use in extremely flame-retardant jacket riser (CMR) applications over PP/PE or FRPP/FRPE inners
  (insulation)
• Process at adequate line speed
• Meet/Exceed all existing performance requirements (physical/mechanical) for current riser grades

Solutions

GEON’s Innovation Team developed a solution that provided excellent flame resistance without the use of TBPH. This resulted in the formulation of GEON Ristar WJJC310L, WJJC319, and WJLC339U riser jacketing compounds for use in category communication cables. These compounds do not intentionally contain TBPH above the applicable threshold (0.1%) of the REACH SVHC candidate substances list as updated by the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) (23-Jan-2024). Please note that GEON does not routinely test for TBPH in these compounds.

Impact

With excellent flame propagation characteristics, these GEON Ristar compounds enable manufacturers to meet UL 444/UL 1666 requirements with a non-TBPH solution. In addition, these formulations allow them to keep pace with a growing demand for riser and plenum products, and the desire to proactively move toward more sustainable material designs. These grades further expand GEON’s exceptional flexible PVC compounds portfolio for communication riser and plenum applications such as Category data cables, RG coaxial cables, optical fiber distribution cables and breakout cables.