Project description
Environmentally friendly packaging materials
Packaging is important for the transport and protection of food and goods. Adequate packaging assures safe transport, protects foods, and issues important marketing information. However, plastic packaging is bad for the environment. The EU-funded CelluWiz project will develop two advanced procedures that can produce environmentally friendly packaging materials. The project is supported by five partners from four EU countries specialised in real-time operating systems (RTOs) and packaging. The new materials are based on micro fibrillated celluloses (MFC) and will be recyclable and compostable, while ensuring the protection of foods and goods. CelluWiz will prove their environmental advantages and effective adaptability in the value chain. Small pilot devices will demonstrate the competitiveness of the CelluWiz materials.
Objective
Packaging is necessary to transport and protect food and goods and communicate with the end-user. The food packaging industry, agile to follow consumer expectations and societal changes, is nowadays taking the challenge to improve its sustainability and reduce its environmental impact. CelluWiz project will greatly participate to take the challenge by developing, from TRL 3 up to 5, two innovative processes able to produce all-cellulose, recyclable and compostable, multilayer materials for packaging.
A consortium of 5 partners, including 3 RTOs and 2 industrial groups from 4 European countries, has been set up to reach the following objectives:
-Develop the MFC wet lamination process. This process assembles, without glue, a board with a layer of MicroFibrillated Celluloses, creating a stratified cellulosic material. The MFC layer confers stiffness, lightweighting, barrier to air, grease, contaminants and oxygen.
-Develop a specific version of the chromatogeny coating and grafting process for MFC layers. This ultrafast and efficient solvent free chemical grafting process will be fully revised to create a micron size layer of pure cellulose ester which will bring liquid resistance and water vapour barrier.
-Produce 3 proofs of concept (Clamshell, Cup, and Tray) showing performances at least equivalent to market references.
-Demonstrate the environmental benefits of the innovative processes and materials and their easy integration into the value chain, by performing LCA and LCC and by submitting the project advances to an advisory group composed of stakeholders of the value chain.
At the end of the project, small pilot machines will be able to prove that the CelluWiz’ materials can offer a competitive alternative to existing multi-layers plastic materials or multi-materials while being renewable, recyclable/recycled in the paper waste value chain and biodegradable.
Fields of science
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
38610 Gieres
France