Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SP-Milk (Production of a new biodegradable bioplastic made up of biomolecules extracted from expired milk)
Berichtszeitraum: 2022-06-01 bis 2022-11-30
The global plastic production reached up to 448 million tons in 2018, of which approximately 8 million tons are entering into the oceans every year. The imprudent use of plastics in our everyday life elevated plastics into the major pollutant component of the world seas and oceans. At the same time, every year in Europe 3-6 million tons of milk are thrown away as waste. Splastica is an innovative startup and a spin off from University of Rome Tor Vergata founded in 2019, whose CEO is a woman, which found an innovative way to turn expired milk into a biobased and biodegradable plastic, by means of a patented process. This bioplastic has been widely characterized, showing good hardness, resistance and great stability in a wide range of temperatures, and in contact with food, water, detergents.
The single-use plastic industry is the target field of application of SP-Milk bioplastic. Single-use plastics, often also referred to as disposable plastics, are commonly used for plastic packaging and include items intended to be used only once. The recent EU Directive 2019/904, the SUP Directive, imposes, from July 2021, EU wide market restriction measures (bans) for various single-use products such as plastic cutlery, plates, stirrers and straws, oxo-degradable plastics and expanded polystyrene food and drink containers. SPlastica business idea is to bring to the market SP-Milk bioplastic in the form of granules to be used by plastic processing companies with injection moulding and compression moulding machines and to produce films for industrial packaging applications. Project Objectives within the Women TechEU program are: the optimization of the bioplastic formulation to assess its machinability with industrial machines; the material certifications (degradation in seawater; compostability); the study and design the wastewater treatment system inherent to the SP-Milk production process and the layout of a industrial scale plant.
The single-use plastic industry is the target field of application of SP-Milk bioplastic. Single-use plastics, often also referred to as disposable plastics, are commonly used for plastic packaging and include items intended to be used only once. The recent EU Directive 2019/904, the SUP Directive, imposes, from July 2021, EU wide market restriction measures (bans) for various single-use products such as plastic cutlery, plates, stirrers and straws, oxo-degradable plastics and expanded polystyrene food and drink containers. SPlastica business idea is to bring to the market SP-Milk bioplastic in the form of granules to be used by plastic processing companies with injection moulding and compression moulding machines and to produce films for industrial packaging applications. Project Objectives within the Women TechEU program are: the optimization of the bioplastic formulation to assess its machinability with industrial machines; the material certifications (degradation in seawater; compostability); the study and design the wastewater treatment system inherent to the SP-Milk production process and the layout of a industrial scale plant.
During the SP-Milk project, industrial tests in collaboration with plastic processing companies have been executed, in order to define the best formulation of SP-Milk granules to be processed using industrial moulding machines. An iterative process has been followed: machinability tests have been executed with a compression moulding machine starting from a specific formulation. A feedback was obtained on that specific formulation. Splastica worked back on the material compound, in order to tune the granules assets to the desired physico-chemical properties. A final prototype was then obtained. Splastica has also demonstrated that the granules may be sustainably coloured and that the colours are not degraded using this industrial process.
SP-Milk filmability tests were also performed using an extruder with calendering rolls. A good film has been obtained, but the mechanical properties, in order to be used for packaging application, should be improved.
Compostability tests have been performed into a home composter following the UNIEN 13432 and in the water marine following the ISO19679:2020. SP-Milk material is going to disappear in the composter in 84 days, while in water marine in only 50 days. The measurement of the CO2 evolution, confirmed the complete material biodegradation, without the release of toxic substances.
A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been performed. LCA results demonstrated that a coffee stirrer composed of SP-Milk material is more sustainable than one realized in plastic (PS) and even more than one realized in wood!
The layout of a pilot plant of SP-Milk has been designed, including also the study and design of the wastewater treatment system inherent to the SP-Milk production process ,in order to start with the industrial production.
SP-Milk filmability tests were also performed using an extruder with calendering rolls. A good film has been obtained, but the mechanical properties, in order to be used for packaging application, should be improved.
Compostability tests have been performed into a home composter following the UNIEN 13432 and in the water marine following the ISO19679:2020. SP-Milk material is going to disappear in the composter in 84 days, while in water marine in only 50 days. The measurement of the CO2 evolution, confirmed the complete material biodegradation, without the release of toxic substances.
A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been performed. LCA results demonstrated that a coffee stirrer composed of SP-Milk material is more sustainable than one realized in plastic (PS) and even more than one realized in wood!
The layout of a pilot plant of SP-Milk has been designed, including also the study and design of the wastewater treatment system inherent to the SP-Milk production process ,in order to start with the industrial production.
SP-milk project demonstrated that a 100% natural-polymers-based material can be moulded with industrial machines. The granules have been optimized for compression moulding, but they should be improved in order to be used in injection moulding machines and for film applications. This first fundamental result obtained within the SP-Milk project opens the way to new markets, in which is possible to realize objects using a new generation of bioplastic material that is going to be degraded also in a home composter. People like the objects realized with SP-Milk material, and our production channels are already active, since Splastica’s industrial partners (the plastic moulding companies) are ready to start their production lines using SP-Milk granules. Thanks to the SP-Milk project, Splastica had the possibility to layout a pilot plant, including also the wastewater treatment. Splastica is now ready to start the business of SP-Milk granules production.
To this aim, Splastica is now looking for money to build the industrial plant and it is officially doing partnership with milk producers in order to have a constant source of raw materials (their expired milk).
The SP-Milk project with targeted funding for the development of the deep-tech product and first-class coaching and mentoring schemes, made Splastica stronger, and improved the CEO awareness. Furthermore a more balanced gender approach in woman-led initiatives can give confidence also to other women, giving benefits for the society.
SP-Milk results have been communicated also outside the European Union, with the aim of informing other Countries about plastic pollution and bioplastic solutions.
To this aim, Splastica is now looking for money to build the industrial plant and it is officially doing partnership with milk producers in order to have a constant source of raw materials (their expired milk).
The SP-Milk project with targeted funding for the development of the deep-tech product and first-class coaching and mentoring schemes, made Splastica stronger, and improved the CEO awareness. Furthermore a more balanced gender approach in woman-led initiatives can give confidence also to other women, giving benefits for the society.
SP-Milk results have been communicated also outside the European Union, with the aim of informing other Countries about plastic pollution and bioplastic solutions.