Descrizione del progetto
L’imballaggio alimentare entra nell’economia circolare
Gli imballaggi alimentari occupano una quota rilevante di tutti i compositi multistrato plastici flessibili europei che non sono riciclabili mediante i processi attuali. Il progetto CIRCULAR FoodPack, finanziato dall’UE, affronterà questa sfida e agevolerà l’uso circolare degli imballaggi in plastica producendo polietilene riciclato di alta qualità utilizzando specifiche basate su sensori o smistamento basato su traccianti, deinchiostrazione e deodorazione termo-assistita, nonché processi di riciclaggio basati su solventi o meccanici. I progetti innovativi dei laminati monomateriali riciclabili e sicuri per gli alimenti permetteranno il riutilizzo in applicazioni di film di alto valore, con la futura marcatura degli imballaggi alimentari con traccianti disinchiostranti. Ciò consentirà di includere l’imballaggio alimentare nell’economia circolare, permettendo il riutilizzo nello stesso settore di prodotti di alto valore mediante l’eliminazione delle sostanze indesiderate dalle materie prime secondarie.
Obiettivo
CIRCULAR FoodPack aims to facilitate the circular use of plastic packaging addressing the most sensitive product category: Food packaging. This sector contains 87% of all European flexible plastic-plastic multilayer composites (MLC) due to the high requirements for food preservation and safety. However, these MLC laminates cannot be recycled by state of the art processes and thus counteract the circular use of food packaging. Recycled polymers from far less demanding mono-film waste fractions underperform and cannot be used in food packaging, mostly due to the presence of intentionally and not intentionally added substances. We will demonstrate the project results by production of high-quality recycled PE at TRL 5-6, using Sensor-Based-Specification or Tracer-Based-Sorting (TBS, SBS), deinking and thermally assisted deodorization as well as solvent-based or mechanical recycling processes. Innovative designs of recyclable and food-safe mono-material laminates will enable the re-use in high-value film applications, with upcoming food packaging marking with deinkable tracers. This allows a future circular economy of food packaging, if TBS guarantees a sorting of food grade materials. Product characterization, food contact compliance testing, LCA, LCC and business modelling will support and guide process development, upscale and design new packaging. The approach addresses the scope of the call exactly, since innovative sorting and recycling solutions are applied to novel designs being developed. That enables the re-use in the same high-value product sector by removing undesirable substances from secondary raw materials. Addressing the annual 2 Mio tonnes of European MLC food packaging, which currently hamper the recycling of 17.8 Mio tonnes of food packaging waste, the expected impact on flexible packaging and food sector is substantial. An interdisciplinary team of 4 RTOs and 10 industrial partners (5 SMEs) will finally implement the new circular economy approach.
Campo scientifico
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwaste managementwaste treatment processesrecycling
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcomposites
- natural scienceschemical sciencespolymer sciences
- engineering and technologyother engineering and technologiesfood technologyfood packaging
- social scienceseconomics and businesseconomicssustainable economy
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinatore
80686 Munchen
Germania