New organic plastic packaging developed

Compostable bio-plastics also suitable as packaging material for food

09/01/2015

Plastic packaging is today a significant part of the accumulated waste. „In Germany, almost three million tonnes of plastic packaging are disposed of each year“, reports the Fraunhofer Institute. Of that will „Not even half recycled“ and the „Rest burned or land in nature.“ An alternative could be compostable bioplastic packaging.

Until now, according to the announcement of the Fraunhofer Institute, Bio-Plastik was only limitedly suitable as a packaging material, as it „the goods are not enough from odors, oxygen and water vapor“ has protected. However, Fraunhofer researchers now have one in an EU project „Compostable, bio-degradable functional material“ developed that can be applied as a coating on other biodegradable packaging materials. As a result, the environmentally friendly packaging could be used in many more areas in the future, the researchers hope.

Plastic waste is a significant environmental problem
The biggest problem with the tons of accumulating plastic waste so far is its severe decomposability. „It takes around 400 years for a normal plastic bag to decompose. Plastic bottles need 450 years, nylon nets for fishing even 600 years“, reports the Fraunhofer Institute. Since only a small portion of the global plastic waste is recycled, it increasingly accumulates in the environment. In particular, the oceans are extremely stressed. So be „the amount of waste in the oceans is currently estimated at over 100 million tonnes“; from which „about three quarters of plastics“ exist, reports the Federal Environment Agency (UBA). According to the UBA, up to 6.4 million tons are added every year, and today, on average, 13,000 plastic waste particles per square kilometer drive the surface of the sea. In the North Sea alone, 600,000 cubic meters of waste are to be found.

Looking for alternatives to conventional plastics
In view of the increasing waste problem „Feverishly looking for alternatives to petroleum-based plastics, which can be completely biodegradable“, reports the Fraunhofer Institute. Previous bio-plastics did not have the required properties. „They break quickly and are not easily compostable“, so the message of the institute. Moreover, in view of the inadequate barrier properties with respect to water vapor, oxygen and odorous substances, they are scarcely suitable as food packaging, since the contents spoil quickly or take on the taste of other foods. In the European project „DibbioPack“ Therefore, researchers have been looking for ways to address the known problems with bio-plastics.

Biodegradable coating developed
The involved team around Dr. Sabine Amberg-Schwab, Head of the Functional Barrier Layer Department at the Würzburg Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC, has developed a hybrid plastic coating based on biopolymers as part of the EU project, which can be naturally mined and disposed of as compost waste. The biodegradable functional layer bioORMOCER®e can be applied to biodegradable films and thus form a functional barrier against oxygen, water vapor, flavors or chemical substances, reports the Fraunhofer Institute. „The novel biodegradable coating material is suitable for containers and packaging, such as films“, so the message of the institute. The researchers also report that the materials are even equipped with additional functions and can, for example, have an antibacterial effect. In the future, it would be possible to use bioORMOCER®e in packaging of food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. „We hope to be able to refine compostable films with our coating in such a way that sustainable packaging is just as functional as conventional and will be a success on the market“, emphasizes Sabine Amberg-Schwab.

Nature as a model
In the development of the material helped the researchers according to their own information „a look into nature“. They used „in different formulations natural substances that are biodegradable and by themselves develop a good barrier effect“, explains Amberg-Schwab. For the novel bioORMOCER®e, biopolymers such as cellulose and chitosan have been chemically modified in such a way that they can be processed, reports the Fraunhofer Institute. The materials were subsequently bound by an inorganic framework made of silicon dioxide, which itself has good barrier properties. „Although this framework does not decompose in the natural decomposition process like all other natural substances used, only small remnants of silicon dioxide, that is, sand, remain during the degradation process“, so the message of the institute.

Compostability confirmed in first tests
In the first test, the test compost from the Fraunhofer Institute confirmed that films coated with bioORMOCER® actually rot, the researchers report. After only six weeks, the decay was clearly visible. In the next step should „now the dismantling process within the framework of the project, which runs until March 2016, has been tested according to international standards“ will be the message of the Fraunhofer Institute. Afterwards, more extensive practical tests can be carried out, whereby the innovative bio-plastics have to prove their everyday suitability in several packaging tests. Because „the new packaging material has to be as good as the current state of the art“, so the conclusion of Dr. Sabine Amberg-Schwab. (Fp)