Through GeoFood project, Cibas investigated the possibility of producing food containers made with Geopolymers and using the 3D printing technology.
The geopolymers were made by preceramic mixtures (Metakaolin), inert fillers and phase activators, according to nowadays well-established practice.
The core of the project is based on the following key points and objectives:
• The low energy content of the entire production processes;
• The possibility to use mineral and non-mineral fillers of easy availability;
• The use of charges resulting from the use of secondary raw materials generated by other industrial cycles, which can be used according to the traceability, reliable and controlled availability criteria, before they are disposed to the final landfill;
• The renewability of the total product that allows a complete recycling of objects to their natural end of life;
• The demonstration of how 3D technology can achieve relatively simpler production of containers in scale than those who will be much larger sizes as per customer designs.
Cibas made 3D printed prototypes of molds and objects produced with plastic polymer; Cibas also made 3D printed prototypes with uncooked clay as well as in geopolymers. This could be a starting point for an extension to the patent already presented for the use of geopolymers and 3D printing.
The feedback from potential users has been very good and encouraging for the second phase of the project, where we will study the creation of large size objects.
This feedback has been confirmed through the demonstrations of interest from the end users, the answers to the survey and the qualitative analysis of the produced objects.
Technical verification has given very positive results in particular on the characteristics of high strength and low porosity of the object under analysis.
