Periodic Reporting for period 3 - BIOnTop (Novel packaging films and textiles with tailored end of life and performance based on bio-based copolymers and coatings)
Reporting period: 2022-06-01 to 2023-05-31
Only 31% of plastic is currently recycled and plastic packaging still have a deficient end of life. Thus, improvements are needed to provide cost effective solutions with high bio-based contents and suitable performances for demanding packaging applications, while still achieving compostability in mild conditions.
In this sense, BIOnTOP project, funded by the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 837761, aimed to deliver recyclable-by-design cost competitive packaging solutions with the possibility of different end of lives such as mechanically recycling, industrially/home composting or even suitable for anaerobic digestion using sustainably sourced comonomers, additives and fillers to formulate novel PLA copolymers and compounds. The barrier properties of delivered bio-packaging trays, films and derived packaging, were aimed to be enhanced using removable protein-based coatings and a novel fatty acid grafting technology to decrease permeability and compete with fossil packaging. Moreover, in the field of textile packaging, most used coatings are not bio-based and of different nature from the coated fibers, making organic recycling extremely difficult, so new PLA coatings or fatty acid grafted PLA will allow reprocessing without significant loss of properties.
BIOnTop aimed to develop packaging applications with tailored end of life that would be validated through the fabrication of different demonstrators for food and personal care packaging containing mono- and multilayer structures.
In this sense, BIOnTOP project, funded by the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 837761, aimed to deliver recyclable-by-design cost competitive packaging solutions with the possibility of different end of lives such as mechanically recycling, industrially/home composting or even suitable for anaerobic digestion using sustainably sourced comonomers, additives and fillers to formulate novel PLA copolymers and compounds. The barrier properties of delivered bio-packaging trays, films and derived packaging, were aimed to be enhanced using removable protein-based coatings and a novel fatty acid grafting technology to decrease permeability and compete with fossil packaging. Moreover, in the field of textile packaging, most used coatings are not bio-based and of different nature from the coated fibers, making organic recycling extremely difficult, so new PLA coatings or fatty acid grafted PLA will allow reprocessing without significant loss of properties.
BIOnTop aimed to develop packaging applications with tailored end of life that would be validated through the fabrication of different demonstrators for food and personal care packaging containing mono- and multilayer structures.
Copolymers based on lactic acid with improved home-compostability in comparison to commercial PLA have been obtained. Furthermore, formulations of bio-blends and bio-composites for the different applications of the project which perform as home-compostable materials have been developed as well. These developed materials together with the investigations on plasticisers, chain extenders and natural fibers had led to the final formulations for BIONTOP final prototypes.
New water barrier and repellence bio-based coatings have also been developed for films, trays and textiles. The application of BIONTOP bio-based coatings onto films of different thickness was achieved at pilot plant scale. These coated films were used for validation into packaging demonstrators. Additionally, PLA hotmelt and waterborn PLA emulsion with low processing temperature was successfully developed, lamination of PLA film to PLA substrate was demonstrated as possible resulting in a material presenting excellent liquid repellence, a PLA emulsion with good abrasion resistance, good flexibility and good cleanability towards water, wine, coffee and tea but bad washing resistance was obtained and PLA plastisol with excellent abrasion resistance, tunable biodegradability and mediocre flexibility was developed.
Spectroscopic analysis of the developed copolymers has been performed. The results will make possible material sorting for the products which EoL is expected to be recycling. Reprocessability of final formulations was studied and demonstrated at laboratory and pilot plant scale. A strategy for the recycling and reprocessing of BIONTOP materials has been established upon these results.
A comprehensive biodegradation study under different degradation conditions has been performed over the developed bio-based copolymers, bends, composites and coatings. Furthermore, a predictive data modelling tool for the prediction of the biodegradation of BIONTOP materials has been developed.
Biobased and biodegradable monolayer trays with thermosealed lid were validated in relevant environment as packaging for blueberries with not significant differences for their self-life in comparison with conventional materials.
Multilayer biobased BIONTOP materials with good barrier properties did not perform appropriately in industrial packing machines unfortunately. Nevertheless, a small series of 14 cheese packages could be obtained.
Films from recycled BIONTOP formulations were successfully produced. The materials look, behave and are processable very similar to the virgin ones. The mechanical properties are comparable with the virgin materials. 100% based recycled BIONTOP films were successfully welded into secondary packaging bags.
The formulation for fabricating BIONTOP net packaging prototypes was successfully developed at laboratory scale by employing a pilot plant single screw extruder. This formulation was subsequently successfully employed for obtaining biobased and industrially recyclable oriented nets by extrusion melt spinning at industrial level.
Biobased and home compostable biopolymer blends were developed for the fabrication of tea bags. These materials showed very good performance towards processing, mechanical properties and biodegradation behavior under home composting conditions.
New water barrier and repellence bio-based coatings have also been developed for films, trays and textiles. The application of BIONTOP bio-based coatings onto films of different thickness was achieved at pilot plant scale. These coated films were used for validation into packaging demonstrators. Additionally, PLA hotmelt and waterborn PLA emulsion with low processing temperature was successfully developed, lamination of PLA film to PLA substrate was demonstrated as possible resulting in a material presenting excellent liquid repellence, a PLA emulsion with good abrasion resistance, good flexibility and good cleanability towards water, wine, coffee and tea but bad washing resistance was obtained and PLA plastisol with excellent abrasion resistance, tunable biodegradability and mediocre flexibility was developed.
Spectroscopic analysis of the developed copolymers has been performed. The results will make possible material sorting for the products which EoL is expected to be recycling. Reprocessability of final formulations was studied and demonstrated at laboratory and pilot plant scale. A strategy for the recycling and reprocessing of BIONTOP materials has been established upon these results.
A comprehensive biodegradation study under different degradation conditions has been performed over the developed bio-based copolymers, bends, composites and coatings. Furthermore, a predictive data modelling tool for the prediction of the biodegradation of BIONTOP materials has been developed.
Biobased and biodegradable monolayer trays with thermosealed lid were validated in relevant environment as packaging for blueberries with not significant differences for their self-life in comparison with conventional materials.
Multilayer biobased BIONTOP materials with good barrier properties did not perform appropriately in industrial packing machines unfortunately. Nevertheless, a small series of 14 cheese packages could be obtained.
Films from recycled BIONTOP formulations were successfully produced. The materials look, behave and are processable very similar to the virgin ones. The mechanical properties are comparable with the virgin materials. 100% based recycled BIONTOP films were successfully welded into secondary packaging bags.
The formulation for fabricating BIONTOP net packaging prototypes was successfully developed at laboratory scale by employing a pilot plant single screw extruder. This formulation was subsequently successfully employed for obtaining biobased and industrially recyclable oriented nets by extrusion melt spinning at industrial level.
Biobased and home compostable biopolymer blends were developed for the fabrication of tea bags. These materials showed very good performance towards processing, mechanical properties and biodegradation behavior under home composting conditions.
BIONTOP combines several technologies to reach modular EoL that are currently not achievable with the available materials under control waste management scenario, while still ensuring the material meets the properties required for packaging productions. BIONTOP is improving the biodegradation of PLA based blends and copolymers in home composting conditions. Furthermore, novel tailor-made copolymers of bio-based diacids with lactic acid (lactide) were developed. Moreover, copolymers with different ratios of bio-based diacid to lactic acid, molecular weights, lengths of each segment and crystallinity are designed which allows breakthrough in their biodegradation behaviour in mild conditions. In addition, the comparison of the degradability behaviour of different bio-based systems in a consistent manner will allow a systematic understanding of the effect of the structure of the EoL behaviour that is currently lacking in the literature and a contribution to biodegradation standards.
BIONTOP has developed the novel combination of polar a bio-based oxygen barrier coating with a non-polar bio-based water vapour barrier coating to offer a barrier both against humidity and oxygen. In addition, this is provides easy emptying functionality and easy product release functions which are beyond the current state of the art as non-migrating alternative to existing solutions.
BIONTOP demonstrates the capacity for recycling all materials under study where such EoL is relevant. Based on the results of the biodegradation testing performed in different conditions along the formulation development data driven modelling that will account for parameters of composition, process, environmental use, thickness, etc. was performed. Machine learning algorithms, were used to model both biodegradation and disintegration. The resulting predictive models are a support tool to eco-design packaging that biodegrade according to the target EoL and standard (thickness, composition, etc.). They could also be relevant for the waste management plants to predict for given packaging streams using the data from the developed composition monitoring system used for sorting.
BIONTOP has developed the novel combination of polar a bio-based oxygen barrier coating with a non-polar bio-based water vapour barrier coating to offer a barrier both against humidity and oxygen. In addition, this is provides easy emptying functionality and easy product release functions which are beyond the current state of the art as non-migrating alternative to existing solutions.
BIONTOP demonstrates the capacity for recycling all materials under study where such EoL is relevant. Based on the results of the biodegradation testing performed in different conditions along the formulation development data driven modelling that will account for parameters of composition, process, environmental use, thickness, etc. was performed. Machine learning algorithms, were used to model both biodegradation and disintegration. The resulting predictive models are a support tool to eco-design packaging that biodegrade according to the target EoL and standard (thickness, composition, etc.). They could also be relevant for the waste management plants to predict for given packaging streams using the data from the developed composition monitoring system used for sorting.