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Enhancing the water vapour barrier of biobased food packaging
Project
Project code: 2219NR055
Contract period: 01.10.2019
- 30.09.2020
Budget: 100,000 Euro
Purpose of research: Experimental development
Target of the project is to demonstrate reasonable strategies to improve the water vapour barrier properties of biobased packaging materials. The biopolymers Polylactide PLA und Polybutylene succinate PBS are already well-established in the plastic market and blends made of PLA and PBS are very well suited for producing flexible packaging films whose mechanical and optical properties are very close to polyethylene films. The result of the project, which is executed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP and the Leibniz Institute of Surface Engineering IOM, will be a concept for a reasonable and economical technique for producing biobased packaging films for dry food. In the first approach, low-temperature processes are used to apply ultra-thin barrier layers onto the film substrates, thereby significantly reducing the water vapour transmission. In the second approach, the water vapour barrier of the substrate itself is improved. Within a multi-layer design (3-layer) the middle layer, being the same material as the outer layers, additionally contains hydrophobic additives such as natural, biobased waxes. Alternatively, the biopolymer Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) is used as barrier material in the middle layer.
Section overview
Subjects
- Biotechnology
- Process engineering
- Renewable Resources