New biomaterials can be used for packaging to reduce pollution

[Chinese Packaging Network News] Researchers at Penn State University have developed a cheap biomaterial that can be used in packaging and replacement of renewable packaging for plastic packaging. And Penn State researchers have developed many other applications for this material, and they predict that the use of this new material will significantly reduce pollution.

The fully degradable glycan electrolyte composite consists of cellulose pulp and chitosan treated with almost equal amounts of wood, cotton, chitosan, and the like. Chitosan is derived from chitin, which is the main component of the exoskeleton of arthropods and crustaceans. Chitin is mainly derived from lobsters, crabs, and residual shells left by people eating shrimp.

Jeffrey Catchmark, a professor of agricultural and biological engineering at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that these environmentally friendly barrier coatings cover a wide range of applications, from waterproof paper to ceiling tile and wallboard coatings to fresh food coatings.

He said: "This material is surprisingly strong. Its insoluble adhesiveness is useful for product packaging and other applications. For example, it can be made into a better performance, completely natural wood fiber composite material, and it can even be used in On the floor.” This technique may be used in foods to reduce the intake of oil during frying and keep it brittle. Because this coating is essentially fiber-based, it is also a way to increase dietary fiber.

He explained that the amazingly strong, long-lasting bond between carboxymethylcellulose and chitosan is the key to the performance of this material. These two very cheap polysaccharides (already used in the food industry and other industrial sectors) have different kinds of molecular charges that stick together, which lays the impervious film, coating, adhesive, etc. for the composites. The foundation.

Catchmark believes that if these good-barrier coatings can replace millions of tons of petroleum plastics that are used annually in food packaging in the United States, this material will have a huge impact on reducing pollution.

Catchmark pointed out that global plastic production is close to 300 million tons per year. In the most recent year, more than 29 million tons of plastics have become household garbage in American cities, and almost half of them are plastic packaging. It is estimated that 10% of the world's plastic products will become marine litter, which means that it will pose a major threat to ecological and human health.

A recent study published in "Green Chemistry" showed that the performance of the polyelectrolyte composite coating was good. Cardboard composed of nano-structured fiber particles of carboxymethyl cellulose and chitosan has strong oil-water barrier properties. The coating also resists toluene, n-heptane and salt solutions. It also enhances mechanical properties in dry and humid environments as well as barrier properties against water vapor.

Catchmark and the Pennsylvania State Association have applied for a coating patent and said "These results show that in many commercial applications, glycan electrolyte composites may become competitors to synthetic polymer insulation materials."

“In addition, this study shows that some unexpected new features have emerged in the electrostatically complexed glycan system, which has made high-performance applications of new materials a reality.”

Catchmark began experimenting with biomaterials instead of degradable plastic products that had ignored more than a decade. He is interested in cellulose, the main component of wood, because it is the largest renewable material on Earth. Catchmark studied the combination of its own structure on the nanoscale.

He believes that it is possible to develop natural materials that are more powerful and can improve their performance so that they can compete with unsustainable and polluting synthetic materials, such as low density polyethylene laminates for paperboard, and for Styrofoam and solid plastic in cups and bottles.

Catchmark explained: "The challenge is that to get this material, we must find a way to operate, and the production cost must be cheaper than plastic, because when you try to transform the existing product into a greener When it comes to more sustainable products, you will have to pay for this change." Therefore, if companies want to benefit from it, they must reduce costs. This is another problem that comes with it. This problem must be solved through lower production costs.

This fund is based on an innovation grant from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences applying for research projects. Catchmark is currently working hard to develop business partners in different industries in order to obtain a variety of products.

He said: "We are trying to take last-minute measures to have a real impact on the world, so that people in the industry will no longer use plastics and go to use more of these new natural materials. Therefore, they (consumers) can choose to use this After they are recycled, they can also be buried underground or used as chemical fertilizers, and then they can gradually degrade, or they can use plastics that people throw in the ocean to keep using, because these plastics continue in the sea. It will not degrade for thousands of years."

Also participating in the study were postdoctoral scholar Snehasish Basu and Adam Plucinski, a postgraduate and engineering lecturer at Pennsylvania State University’s Alcoa School. The staff of the Pennsylvania State University Material Research Institute helped the project.