Greenhouse
Following successful field tests in South Israel, a cooling masterbatch developed by an additives specialist has succeeded in curbing soaring temperatures in greenhouses in hot regions.
IR8783PE, the new cooling masterbatch from Tosaf, for greenhouse film applications was designed to support optimal plant growth in hot climate zones. Films produced with IR8783PE block a significant amount of the near infrared radiation (NIR), which would otherwise intensely heat up the greenhouse interior.
Using IR8783PE, most of the photosynthetically-active radiation (PAR) - which is required for a healthy plant growth - can pass through the films unhindered and field trials in South Israel revealed a four-to-five degrees centigrade lower peak temperature in comparison to conventional light diffusing film with no undesired overnight temperature drop.
With a recommended rate of addition of approximately five per cent for a 200-micron film, the new masterbatch is suitable for single, three- and five-layer films.
Cultivating crops in very hot regions, such as the subtropics or southern Europe is made difficult by the plants' ability to produce pollen being reduced at high temperatures. The most common remedy, namely painting the films with whitewash, not only requires additional labour but at also cuts out some of the essential PAR. Films produced with IR8783PE can save this extra labour while lowering the temperature without significant PAR loss.
Tosaf Group, founded in 1985, is a joint venture between Megides Holding and the Ravago Group. The group operates nine factories in Israel, Turkey, Germany, UK, the Netherlands and the Ukraine and offers a wide range of products including mineral-filled compounds for white goods, automotive and other plastic industries; additives such as UV-/light stabilisers, flame retardants and customised additives for applications including BOPP, agricultural, packaging and industrial films, polycarbonate sheets, pipes, foams and other products; and colour masterbatches for a wide range of applications.