Global specialty chemicals company Nouryon has launched a new technology designed to significantly upgrade the quality of recycled polypropylene, one of the most widely used plastics in the world.

 

The product, Perkadox PM-60ST-GR, is an organic peroxide additive aimed at tackling a long-standing barrier in plastics recycling: the performance drop that occurs when polypropylene is reused. That degradation has traditionally restricted recycled content from being used in demanding applications such as automotive parts, packaging, and consumer goods.

 

“Recycled plastic has enormous potential but performance limitations have kept it out of many applications where it could make the biggest difference,” said Alain Rynwalt, senior vice president for Performance Materials at Nouryon. 

 

“Perkadox changes what’s possible. For the first time, recyclers and processors have a practical tool to restore the performance of recycled polypropylene and get it into packaging, automotive and consumer goods that the industry has traditionally assumed needed unprocessed plastic. That’s a significant step forward for our customers.”

 

The technology is introduced during the extrusion stage of recycling, where it actively rebuilds the polymer’s molecular structure. This restoration improves mechanical stability and processing behavior, making recycled material more consistent and usable at scale.

 

In testing, the company reports the additive increased resistance to deformation in molten plastic by up to ten times, while also improving melt viscosity—giving manufacturers tighter control during processing and improving end-product reliability.

 

Nouryon says the innovation could help recyclers and compounders significantly raise the proportion of recycled polypropylene used in higher-performance applications that have historically depended on virgin materials.

 

The company is showcasing Perkadox PM-60ST-GR at the Plastics Recycling Show Europe 2026 in Amsterdam, held May 5–6, where industry focus is increasingly shifting toward scalable circular plastics solutions.

 

Within Nouryon’s Performance Materials segment, the product sits under the Polymer Specialties business unit, which develops additives for polymer production, modification, and recycling—positioning the company firmly in the push to make recycled plastics more competitive with virgin feedstocks.