CASE STUDY: Nail Packaging – Gerdau and Gerdau Graphene 

1. Application Context (100 words or fewer): describe the issue graphene addresses in a specific application context.

In an increasingly sustainability-driven world, the global demand to reduce post-consumer waste and single-use plastics has grown significantly and is shaping the current industry landscape. In this context, graphene has become an ally and catalyst to provide a sustainable and performance-driven solution to the market. 

The mechanical gains provided by graphene when incorporated into plastics will revolutionize packaging by minimizing virgin material use, or increasing the use of post-consumer and PCI materials, whilst improving production efficiency, product performance, and reducing waste.

With this objective, Gerdau Graphene developed its family of performance masterbatches: graphene concentrates incorporated in grades of polyethylene. 

2. Objective of Using Graphene (150-200 words or fewer): clarify the purpose of incorporating graphene.

Recognizing the imperative need to reduce the impact of plastic consumption, Gerdau Graphene has focused its initial family of graphene masterbatches to the downgauging of virgin plastic consumption in packaging, as well as the increase of PCR and PCI material. At the forefront of this exploration is graphene, a remarkable nanocarbon material renowned for its exceptional mechanical properties, which can deliver significant improvements in processes and performance for the final products in which it is applied.

When incorporating graphene into plastics, it becomes possible to decrease the demand for virgin resin in packaging production, concurrently enhancing efficiency, and minimizing losses in the packaging process. This strategy not only fosters sustainability but also emphasizes a dedication to diminishing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, while also yielding substantial financial advantages.

Additionally, graphene improves processability, enhances UV resistance, reduces the coefficient of friction (COF), and exhibits exceptional thermal stability properties. This results in energy savings within the supply chain by reducing energy consumption during processes associated with packaging production and distribution. 

Graphene represents an opportunity to revolutionize the packaging industry and has demonstrated that it is possible to combine profitability and sustainability, promoting efficiency while conserving finite resources on an industrial scale.

3. Study or Real-World Application Description (100-200 words or fewer): detail a study or real-world scenario involving the application, e.g., collaborating with a cement company to construct a bridge.

Gerdau Graphene’s R&D team achieved the successful introduction of a commercial polyethylene masterbatch. This industrial scale masterbatch is specifically engineered to effectively transport and uniformly disperse graphene within packaging materials’ polymer matrix. This development underscores their dedication to providing solutions adaptable to various products and industrial processes, without necessitating any capital investments or extensive process alterations. 

Initial trials began within Gerdau, a market leader for over 120 years of construction nail manufacturing. In Brazil, Gerdau’s operation has three factories (RS, RJ, and PE) dedicated to produce over 30 SKUs of nails, which rely on flexible plastic packaging to protect and distribute the products nationally. In total, these plants manage 15 filling lines. 

The process historically led to packaging punctures during filling. By adding 1% of POLY-G notable improvements in mechanical properties were achieved, allowing a 25% reduction in thickness of the packaging and an impressive 39% decrease in packaging punctures during the filling process. 

The project was a joint development between Gerdau (as brand owner), Lema Embalagens and Ruplast Embalagens (as packaging converters, and Gerdau’s suppliers) and Gerdau Graphene. The project evolved through a collaborative effort, demanding a deep understanding of industrial processes from packaging manufacturers to nail production plants.

4. Graphene’s Role and Property Enhancement (200-250 words or fewer): explain how graphene interacts with the base material, enhancing its properties. Provide measurements illustrating the extent of improvement and compare these enhancements with untreated material and alternative additives. Data and numbers are crucial for these case studies.

When added to polymers, graphene acts as a reinforcing filler. However, due to its astonishing properties and high surface area, the effectiveness of the reinforcement is much higher than any other common filler. Due to the high surface area of graphene, there is a high interaction with the polymer macromolecules, making any type of stress transfer during mechanical stress very efficient. Therefore, the addition of tiny amounts of graphene to polymers confers substantial increases in mechanical properties such as elastic modulus and tensile strength, as can be seen in figure 1, which shows the effect of adding 1% Poly-G PE-07GM to low-density polyethylene (LDPE). It is possible to see that the additive led to increases of 75% in the modulus of elasticity and 37% in tensile strength, compared to pure LDPE.

5. Impact of Results (150-200 words or fewer): discuss the repercussions of these findings, such as the potential for a commercial product or introducing a more cost-effective, robust, rapid, or lightweight solution to the industry.

Major consumers of plastic packaging and brand owners have aggressive demands for the reduction of virgin resin usage and the weight of packaging in the coming years. By incorporating just 1% of the masterbatch with graphene into Gerdau’s nail packaging, Gerdau Graphene responded to their customer sustainability demands and challenges. This includes a 25% reduction in virgin resin consumption through thinner packaging. With the same weight of packaging, a higher quantity of packaging can be produced. And thus, even with a higher cost per kilogram of the new packaging due to the addition of graphene, Gerdau achieved a 9.8% overall reduction in costs.

A 25% thinner packaging also represents a direct decrease in resin consumption, which has a significant sustainability impact. Translated into 72 tons less per year going to landfills or recycling. And less energy used to repack 39% less damaged packaging (due to gains in tensile strength provided by graphene).

This inspiring case of innovability underscores a commitment to ESG, resulting in significantly less waste across Gerdau’s value chain, and reduced energy consumption. This is a tangible example of how collaborative innovation can bring concrete benefits to the industry by reducing environmental impact and improving operational efficiency.