Periodic Reporting for period 2 - HYPERBIOCOAT (High performance biomass extracted functional hybrid polymer coatings for food, cosmetic and medical device packaging)
Reporting period: 2018-03-01 to 2019-08-31
Today, fresh food as well as convenience food is sold in packages. Hygienic conditions, long shelf life and easy availability of these packed products account for our standard of living. However, this convenience contributes to environmental pollution in a significant way, as plastic materials mainly achieve packaging in this case. Pollution by plastics is becoming extremely evident in our oceans and even in ground water and poses a threat to flora and fauna and human health, too. The overall aim of the HyperBioCoat project was to improve sustainable packaging materials - either compostable or recyclable, flexible or rigid, by applying a thin biodegradable barrier coating. Biodegradable packaging materials have been on the market for many decades and their market share is growing. However, there are severe restrictions preventing their broad application in food packaging, as these materials do not provide the requested properties, such as a sufficient barrier against water vapour, oxygen or flavours. The approach of the HyperBioCoat project improves the properties of biodegradable packaging materials by a biodegradable barrier coating. The project addressed broad range applications in food, cosmetic & medical device packaging.
The material concept for the coating builds on the proven bioORMOCER® lacquer platform, a thermoset material, in which an inorganic glass-like molecular network prepared from alkoxysilans and other precursors is combined with biopolymers and on the inherent strength of carbohydrate polymers regarding the formation of films with low oxygen transmission rate. A key target of the project was to validate carbohydrate polymers extracted from fibrous fruit residues (lignocellulose) for the coating.
The material concept for the coating builds on the proven bioORMOCER® lacquer platform, a thermoset material, in which an inorganic glass-like molecular network prepared from alkoxysilans and other precursors is combined with biopolymers and on the inherent strength of carbohydrate polymers regarding the formation of films with low oxygen transmission rate. A key target of the project was to validate carbohydrate polymers extracted from fibrous fruit residues (lignocellulose) for the coating.
The consortium developed a value chain in which branched carbohydrate building blocks extracted from fruit residues were tailored to meet the requirements of hybrid (inorganic-organic) barrier coatings on flexible films and rigid containers, trays or blisters.
1 Extraction
Partners from the food processing industry provided various fruit residues. Depectinized apple pomace proved to be a well-performing raw material for the pilot-scale extraction of a branched sugar structure. The process developed by Fraunhofer IWKS is a combination of extraction and partial hydrolysis (intensified extraction). It provides 1 kg carbohydrate polymer from 25 kg dry pomace, with the potential for doubling the yield with instrumental upgrades.
2 Modification
Chemical modification is essential for achieving the compatibility with the lacquer. Fraunhofer ISC demonstrated a route for chemical modification of carbohydrate polymers, which achieves the required compatibility. For the apple pomace carbohydrate, Fraunhofer IWKS has developed a one-step, chemical modification procedure that can be scaled up to an industrial level. The project created valuable information about possible industrial applications for other types of fruit residues: berry pomace and cocoa shells, e.g. for novel, food production systems and for the biotech industry.
3 Application
Coatings on three-dimensional mass products are particularly demanding in terms of a cost-efficient technological process, which achieves a coating with uniform thickness. The HyperBioCoat partner from Spain, AITIIP, elaborated a robotic spraying technology for ORMOCER® lacquers. AITIIP is a research organisation dedicated to (bio) plastic engineering, with pilot-scale facilities for thermoforming and injection moulding, including facilities for foaming with supercritical fluids (SCF). In the HyperBioCoat project, AITIIP has produced several demonstrators for trays, blisters and bottles based on PLA and fibre-enforced wax and improved the robotic spraying process. Processes and conditions have been optimized for the selected materials. The HyperBioCoat partner from Croatia, MiPlast, produced various bio-based films and optimised printing technology for the coating.
The main results for the assessment of the overall compostability are that developed bioORMOCER®, flexible packaging (biodegradable film + developed bioORMOCER®) and rigid packaging (trays+ developed bioORMOCER®) are fully compostable in terms of biodegradation, disintegration and ecotoxicity compliance with EN 13432 requirements. Regarding the total migration of the HYPERBIOCOAT flexible and rigid packaging, the tests were performed according to the European Regulation EC N. 10/2011 to verify the compliance with the Overall Migration Limit of 10 mg/dm2 in several simulants and with different experimental conditions, in terms of time of contact and exposure temperature. The coating with bioORMOCER® complies with the migration limit at 60°C for 10 days with all tested simulants. Accordingly, the packaging can be applied for food packaging application for contact times above 30 days at room temperature as real use.
1 Extraction
Partners from the food processing industry provided various fruit residues. Depectinized apple pomace proved to be a well-performing raw material for the pilot-scale extraction of a branched sugar structure. The process developed by Fraunhofer IWKS is a combination of extraction and partial hydrolysis (intensified extraction). It provides 1 kg carbohydrate polymer from 25 kg dry pomace, with the potential for doubling the yield with instrumental upgrades.
2 Modification
Chemical modification is essential for achieving the compatibility with the lacquer. Fraunhofer ISC demonstrated a route for chemical modification of carbohydrate polymers, which achieves the required compatibility. For the apple pomace carbohydrate, Fraunhofer IWKS has developed a one-step, chemical modification procedure that can be scaled up to an industrial level. The project created valuable information about possible industrial applications for other types of fruit residues: berry pomace and cocoa shells, e.g. for novel, food production systems and for the biotech industry.
3 Application
Coatings on three-dimensional mass products are particularly demanding in terms of a cost-efficient technological process, which achieves a coating with uniform thickness. The HyperBioCoat partner from Spain, AITIIP, elaborated a robotic spraying technology for ORMOCER® lacquers. AITIIP is a research organisation dedicated to (bio) plastic engineering, with pilot-scale facilities for thermoforming and injection moulding, including facilities for foaming with supercritical fluids (SCF). In the HyperBioCoat project, AITIIP has produced several demonstrators for trays, blisters and bottles based on PLA and fibre-enforced wax and improved the robotic spraying process. Processes and conditions have been optimized for the selected materials. The HyperBioCoat partner from Croatia, MiPlast, produced various bio-based films and optimised printing technology for the coating.
The main results for the assessment of the overall compostability are that developed bioORMOCER®, flexible packaging (biodegradable film + developed bioORMOCER®) and rigid packaging (trays+ developed bioORMOCER®) are fully compostable in terms of biodegradation, disintegration and ecotoxicity compliance with EN 13432 requirements. Regarding the total migration of the HYPERBIOCOAT flexible and rigid packaging, the tests were performed according to the European Regulation EC N. 10/2011 to verify the compliance with the Overall Migration Limit of 10 mg/dm2 in several simulants and with different experimental conditions, in terms of time of contact and exposure temperature. The coating with bioORMOCER® complies with the migration limit at 60°C for 10 days with all tested simulants. Accordingly, the packaging can be applied for food packaging application for contact times above 30 days at room temperature as real use.
The project has demonstrated biodegradable barrier coatings for plastic packaging materials in which the biopolymers of the coating are derived from fibrous fruit residues (lignocellulose). Furthermore, supported by the HyperBioCoat grant the production of cosmetic bottles based on fibre-enforced wax was taken to an industrial level by making the material compatible with injection moulding. The HyperBioCoat partner Stefanski Design started using a slush casting; handcrafted manufacturing approach producing prototypes for a leading luxury bio resort in Spain. The advantage of his raw materials is that they are not competing with animal feed or food production, are 100% free of plastic and micro plastics free, recyclable, decomposable and biocompatible.
For a bio-based product, the CO2 released during composting (or combustion) originates from the atmosphere, from where it was taken when the plants grew up. This contributes to a better CO2 footprint in life cycle analyses compared to petrol-based polymers. One important objective of HyperBioCoat was to reduce CO2 emissions related to material synthesis by 20% compared to the conventional counterparts. As of today, referring to the carbohydrate structure, which is used instead of alkoxysilans, the project has achieved this target. When produced at industrial scale, the price of the new carbohydrate polymer will be in the range of the price for commercial starch and cellulose derivatives, which is lower, compared to alkoxysilans.
The project was able to successfully show how a new bio-based and biodegradable polymer coating can be applied efficiently and at industrial scale, making the way free to further application in the industry.
For a bio-based product, the CO2 released during composting (or combustion) originates from the atmosphere, from where it was taken when the plants grew up. This contributes to a better CO2 footprint in life cycle analyses compared to petrol-based polymers. One important objective of HyperBioCoat was to reduce CO2 emissions related to material synthesis by 20% compared to the conventional counterparts. As of today, referring to the carbohydrate structure, which is used instead of alkoxysilans, the project has achieved this target. When produced at industrial scale, the price of the new carbohydrate polymer will be in the range of the price for commercial starch and cellulose derivatives, which is lower, compared to alkoxysilans.
The project was able to successfully show how a new bio-based and biodegradable polymer coating can be applied efficiently and at industrial scale, making the way free to further application in the industry.