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Plant-based additive for bioplastic barrier enhancement
This technology enhances bioplastics by incorporating a plant-waste-derived additive that significantly improves their water vapor barrier properties.
It enables wider applications of sustainable bioplastics in packaging for food, beverages, medical, and electronic products.
Technology overview
Plastic packaging contributes a significant portion – 40% of global plastic production, with recycling remaining a daunting challenge, particularly for food packaging. Issues such as contamination from food residue and complex multilayer designs render traditional plastic packaging largely non-recyclable. Consequently, these items often end up in landfills, where they persist indefinitely, polluting the environment and posing a significant threat to ecosystems.
Given the threat to ecosystems, bioplastics derived from renewable biomass resources offer a sustainable alternative to conventional plastic. Their key advantage lies in their ability to disintegrate over time, significantly reducing environmental impact. However, their limited ability to block water vapour from passing through poses a significant hurdle in their use for moisture-sensitive products.
This technology addresses this challenge by utilising plant-waste-derived additive that improves the bioplastic’s water vapour barrier properties. By incorporating the plant-waste-derived additive during melt processing, the bioplastic’s water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) is reduced significantly, paving the way for wider applications of bioplastic in packaging for food and beverage, medical devices, medicines, and electronic goods.
Technology features
Eco-Friendly: Made from recycled plant waste, this additive reduces the reliance on fossil fuels and promotes a circular economy.
Enhanced Bioplastic Performance: The additive significantly enhances bioplastics’ ability to block water vapour without compromising strength (tested according to ASTM F 1249-20 and ASTM D882, respectively), potentially extending product shelf life.
Drop-in solution: This additive requires no changes to current bioplastic manufacturing processes, making it readily scalable for high-volume production.
Potential applications
Food and Beverage Packaging: Sustainable packaging with effective moisture barrier properties is ideal for products like bakery items, cereals, snacks, etc, catering to diverse shelf life requirements.
Medical and Pharmaceutical Packaging: Bioplastics with enhanced barrier properties can be used for packaging sensitive medical devices and pharmaceuticals that require protection from moisture or oxygen.
Personal Care and Cosmetics: Sustainable packaging solutions cater to moisture-sensitive personal care products like lotions, creams, or shampoos.
Agricultural Applications: Biodegradable mulch films with improved water vapour control for agriculture.
Benefits
Sustainably sourced through plant waste valorisation
Improved functionality of bioplastic
Seamless integration with existing bioplastic manufacturing processes
Commercialisation
The technology is available for licensing and deployment.
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