Advances in Polythene-Based Films for Fertiliser Packing

Keywords: Polythene film, Fertiliser packing.

With the exception of fertiliser delivered in bulk, films made from polymers of ethylene provide both the primary and secondary packaging medium for the storage and transportation of fertilisers in the UK today. These polymers have developed beyond the straightforward lower density polyethylene (LDPE) to linear low density polyethylene copolymers (LLDPE). These linear polymers are used in blends and co-extrusions with both high and low density polyethylenes.

New presentation techniques to enable automatic and semi-automatic presentation of the sacks to the filling head have been developed which place particular demands on sack properties.

Pallet shrink-wrapping has developed beyond the use of heat to shrink polythene film onto pallet loads of fertiliser. By stretching a pre-formed hood over a pallet of fertiliser a number of advantages can be gained from the new process stretch-hooding. The relatively new use of print and fuse sheets adds further dimensions to pallet-wrapping.

The field of polythene liners for flexible intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) is an area that has seen many developments leading to a shaped high strength liner designed to offer weatherproofing to IBCs for outside storage

C A Harris, Visqueen, Stockton on Tees, UK.

16 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, 1 reference.