Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PRESERVE (High performance sustainable bio-based packaging with tailored end of life and upcycled secondary use)
Período documentado: 2021-01-01 hasta 2022-06-30
Globally, 360 million tons of plastic are produced annually, of which up to 40% are consumed by the food packaging sectors. Currently, only around 32% of the resulting plastic waste generated in the EU is recycled, while the rest is incinerated or disposed in landfills. This contributes to the depletion of our limited resources and is hard to accept in view of EU’s resource efficiency objectives. Moreover, an unacceptable share of 32 % of the plastic packaging ends up leaking in the environment, outside of controlled end of life (EoL) management systems leading to dramatic long-term pollution. More than half of the used food packaging collected in municipal wastes cannot be recycled using currently available techniques due to their heterogeneity and the presence of leftover products. Given that packaging consumes more than 40% of all plastic produced each year, improving its circularity from origin to subsequent life cycles is more than urgent. Although bioplastics show a growing market, their share among plastics remains limited. Increasing the share of bioplastics in the packaging sector will contribute to a responsible use of resources.
To address these challenges, PRESERVE will enhance bio-based packaging in terms of properties that currently limit the application of bioplastics as well as in terms of EoL. To achieve the ambitious goal of developing packaging solutions that have the potential to replace more than 60% of all food and beverage packaging by 2030, different strategies will be used. These strategies aim to boost packaging performance in the first and subsequent life cycles of the materials and comprise the application of biobased coatings and adhesives, application of electron beam radiation (eBeam), self- and microfibrillar reinforcement and conventional additivation.
To address these challenges, PRESERVE will enhance bio-based packaging in terms of properties that currently limit the application of bioplastics as well as in terms of EoL. To achieve the ambitious goal of developing packaging solutions that have the potential to replace more than 60% of all food and beverage packaging by 2030, different strategies will be used. These strategies aim to boost packaging performance in the first and subsequent life cycles of the materials and comprise the application of biobased coatings and adhesives, application of electron beam radiation (eBeam), self- and microfibrillar reinforcement and conventional additivation.
PRESERVE activity and evolution has been closely monitored during RP1. This is accurately reflected in the Techical report (Part B), in which a detailed description of the main studies and results is provided. However, a brief summary is provided below:
The current summary refers to the periodic reporting of RP1. During the first reporting period (i.e. M1-M18) the consortium focused its efforts mainly in the definition of specifications of the upcycled bio-based packaging, the development of bio-based barrier coatings and bio-based adhesives, the upcycling of polymeric materials and blends by enzymation, self, and microfibrillar reinforcement and e-beam treatment. Further, biodegradation, compostability and recycling trials, as well as the safety, environmental and economic sustainability assessments were worked on. These activities have provided the first datasets for LCA. Multiple bio-based functional coatings and adhesives have been developed and applied to various polymeric, board or textile substrates. These materials form the basis for PRESERVE packaging solutions to meet the goals of tailored properties and EoL for each packaging application. A whey protein-based coating formulation has been optimized on lab scale and upscaled to pilot scale. Subsequent metallization has been applied on protein-coated substrates. Resulting films show excellent barrier properties against oxygen. Further, fatty acid grafting processes have been adjusted for the application on PLA substrates using different pretreatments, generating increased liquid repellency. Different grades of medium chain length (mcl) PHAs have been produced by fermentation. Subsequently, these grades of mcl-PHA as well as commercially available grades of short chain PHAs were used to optimize solvent-based and solvent-free coating formulations. The optimization of PHA coatings is currently ongoing. Then whey protein and PHA coated substrates, as well as fatty acid grafted PLA have been electron beam irradiated to further improve barrier and mechanical properties. Additionally, a bio-based polyurethane adhesive has been developed, using oligomers obtained from the hydrolysis of PLA. A casein based biodegradable hot melt adhesive formulation has been optimized. Various coating formulations to reduce microplastics release from secondary raw material textiles have been developed and tested. The mentioned tasks performed are in accordance with the general objectives of the project and WP distribution, which will be found and described in the attached Technical report (Part B).
On the organizational level, most partners have been actively engaged in their corresponding technical tasks as well as in the events related to dissemination and social engagement of the project. The general and technical coordination of the project (IRIS and ASU) have been closely collaborating in order to maintain full coverage of the tasks evolution, documentation preparation and updates and monitoring of resources. Also, and derived from WP8 activity, research and consultation initiatives have been triggered, including the formation of the PRESERVE advisory board. In addition, in accordance to WP1, IRIS provided the consortium with a compendium of guidelines, ethical requirements and standard procedures in order to perform organized; as well the establishment of an online-shared-point to act as a documentation archive and shared-work-point. Finally, 3 general assemblies have been organized during RP1: two in a remote format (due to COVID-19 pandemic) and one physically hosted in Barcelona; apart from the periodic individual WP video conferences and calls.
It is worth to mention that during RP1, the replacement of one beneficiary was required, meaning that an amendment process was requested. It was recently closed successfully and the activity described in the current report is in accordance to the established modifications from the amendment.
The current summary refers to the periodic reporting of RP1. During the first reporting period (i.e. M1-M18) the consortium focused its efforts mainly in the definition of specifications of the upcycled bio-based packaging, the development of bio-based barrier coatings and bio-based adhesives, the upcycling of polymeric materials and blends by enzymation, self, and microfibrillar reinforcement and e-beam treatment. Further, biodegradation, compostability and recycling trials, as well as the safety, environmental and economic sustainability assessments were worked on. These activities have provided the first datasets for LCA. Multiple bio-based functional coatings and adhesives have been developed and applied to various polymeric, board or textile substrates. These materials form the basis for PRESERVE packaging solutions to meet the goals of tailored properties and EoL for each packaging application. A whey protein-based coating formulation has been optimized on lab scale and upscaled to pilot scale. Subsequent metallization has been applied on protein-coated substrates. Resulting films show excellent barrier properties against oxygen. Further, fatty acid grafting processes have been adjusted for the application on PLA substrates using different pretreatments, generating increased liquid repellency. Different grades of medium chain length (mcl) PHAs have been produced by fermentation. Subsequently, these grades of mcl-PHA as well as commercially available grades of short chain PHAs were used to optimize solvent-based and solvent-free coating formulations. The optimization of PHA coatings is currently ongoing. Then whey protein and PHA coated substrates, as well as fatty acid grafted PLA have been electron beam irradiated to further improve barrier and mechanical properties. Additionally, a bio-based polyurethane adhesive has been developed, using oligomers obtained from the hydrolysis of PLA. A casein based biodegradable hot melt adhesive formulation has been optimized. Various coating formulations to reduce microplastics release from secondary raw material textiles have been developed and tested. The mentioned tasks performed are in accordance with the general objectives of the project and WP distribution, which will be found and described in the attached Technical report (Part B).
On the organizational level, most partners have been actively engaged in their corresponding technical tasks as well as in the events related to dissemination and social engagement of the project. The general and technical coordination of the project (IRIS and ASU) have been closely collaborating in order to maintain full coverage of the tasks evolution, documentation preparation and updates and monitoring of resources. Also, and derived from WP8 activity, research and consultation initiatives have been triggered, including the formation of the PRESERVE advisory board. In addition, in accordance to WP1, IRIS provided the consortium with a compendium of guidelines, ethical requirements and standard procedures in order to perform organized; as well the establishment of an online-shared-point to act as a documentation archive and shared-work-point. Finally, 3 general assemblies have been organized during RP1: two in a remote format (due to COVID-19 pandemic) and one physically hosted in Barcelona; apart from the periodic individual WP video conferences and calls.
It is worth to mention that during RP1, the replacement of one beneficiary was required, meaning that an amendment process was requested. It was recently closed successfully and the activity described in the current report is in accordance to the established modifications from the amendment.
During the forthcoming months we expect the completion of work package 3 and work package 4, especially regarding the pending milestones. The activities related to the optimization and upscaling of the PHA coating as well as the multilayer structures will be carefully monitored and further mitigation actions are ready to be activated. Furthermore, activities related to the reinforced materials will also be carefully monitored to avoid further delays. More specifically, regarding the socio-economic impact, more and deeper studies will be performed during the next up coming months, in addition to the data already gathered in WP7. Furthermore, more information regarding the demonstrators developed using the materials obtained in PRESERVE will be available, allowing further assessment of economic and social impact.