What flame retardants can replace ATO (Sb2O3)?

Antimony trioxide(Sb2O3) and bromine-based flame retardants offer excellent flame retardancy in a wide range of materials. However, the price of ATO has risen from 150,000 to 300,000, causing significant headaches for many manufacturers in the flame-retardant modified plastics industry. In the short term, it's unlikely that the price of antimony oxide (Sb2O3，ATO) will experience a significant price drop. Therefore, the search for flame retardants to replace antimony trioxide (Sb2O3) has been a hot topic in the industry in recent years. So, what are the different types of ATO alternatives?

Some of these alternatives are based on talc, wollastonite, barium sulfate, or magnesium hydroxide. These alternatives are characterized by low price, widespread availability of raw materials, and moderate flame retardancy and filling properties. However, their disadvantages are that they cannot completely replace antimony trioxide (Sb2O3), but only partially. Furthermore, the excessive amount added significantly impacts the mechanical properties of the material, making them ineffective substitutes and inapplicable to many materials.

Another type of antimony trioxide substitute is primarily based on high-purity modified polyphosphates or compounded with other additives, such as LX-C2110 and LX-C5100. These can replace 30% to 40% of ATO and are considered a new environmentally friendly inorganic alternative. Extensive testing and application have shown that they can also partially replace Sb2O3. Currently, no flame retardant is commercially available that can completely replace ATO.

It is important to note that if ATO is to be completely replaced in polyvinyl chloride (PVC), our PVC flame retardant, LX-C291, can completely replace Sb2O3 at a dosage of 1.3-1.5 times the amount of Sb2O3. Based on extensive user feedback from both domestic and international customers, LX-C291 demonstrates excellent flame retardancy. LX-C291 offers significant price advantages over antimony oxide and meets REACH and ROHS environmental requirements.