【ENS NEWS】Plastic Packaging Industry
Shifting to Bio-based Products
Posted by News Editor in Latest News, RSS, Sci/Tech on December 5, 2012
7:39 am
ESPOO, Finland, December 5,
2012 (ENS) – A new technology developed in Finland is enabling the plastic
packaging industry to shift toward bio-based products, away from dependence on
plastics made from petroleum.
The VTT Technical Research
Centre of Finland has developed a new technique to improve the quality of
bio-based plastic packaging, the project’s lead research scientist announced
Tuesday.
With VTT’s technology,
bio-based plastic packages will outperform traditional packaging materials not
just ecologically but also in terms of quality. The key element is PGA polymer,
says professor Ali Harlin from VTT’s biotechnology and food research
laboratory.
Harlin has developed a
technique that enables the production of the PGA monomer glycolic acid from
bio-based materials more efficiently than ever before.
Made from sugar, PGA plastic
has excellent barrier properties, Harlin says. As a film, it is the most
efficient oxygen barrier known, and it will effectively keep food from
spoiling, which is what happens to food in the presence of oxygen.
In addition to strength and
heat resistance, plastic packaging also needs to be airtight, vapor-proof and
grease-resistant. Adding PGA into the structure of traditional plastic
packaging significantly improves these qualities, says Harlin.
When PGA film is used to
package food, it keeps the oxygen out of the package, creating what Harlin
calls a “modified atmosphere package.” There is a protective atmosphere inside
the package and the oxygen is outside where it cannot damage the food.
The new generation of
bio-based plastic packaging is not only eco-friendly but also has several
superior qualities compared to conventional plastic packaging.
PGA plastic is between 20
and 30 percent stronger than PLA – the most popular biodegradable plastic on
the market – and able to withstand temperatures 20 degrees Celsius higher,
Harlin explains.
VTT Professor Ali Harlin
holds a piece of sugar-based plastic film. A bio-pastic food tray is on the lab
table behind him. (Image from video courtesy VTT)
It also breaks down more
quickly than PLA, but its biodegradability can be regulated if necessary,
Harlin said.
Sugar-based plastic food
trays are recyclable and Harlin says the trays and films can be broken down
into their raw material, sugar, again.
“Next generation food
packages are just one step away from entering the market,” says Harlin. When
that happens, he says, it will help control waste and also help conserve oil.
The volume of oil used every
year in the production of plastics equates to approximately five percent of the
world’s total oil consumption.
Approximately 40 percent of
all plastics are used in packaging, which puts special pressure on the
packaging industry to reduce its dependence on oil.
Ethical consumption
principles and legislative changes are steering the packaging industry towards
sustainable development. At the moment, bio-based plastic accounts for approximately
one percent of global plastic production.
According to lifecycle
analyses, carbon dioxide emissions from bio-based plastics can be as much as 70
percent lower than from oil-based plastics, says VTT, a state-owned research
institute operating under Finland’s Ministry of Employment and the Economy.
Using the new VTT
technology, the plastic packaging industry is moving towards completely
bio-based products and is beginning to provide the products that will allow the
food packaging industry to become less and less dependent on oil.
The use of renewable natural
resources in industrial applications reduces dependence on oil and the carbon
footprint attributable to consumption, so the shift to bio-based plastic will
help the European Union meet its goal for 2050 – to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions by at least 80 percent from the level of 1990.
VTT specialists who have
assessed Finland’s chances of achieving the 80 percent greenhouse gas emission
reduction targets say the goal is a tough one for Finland, but it is possible
to achieve as long as all sectors that produce or consume energy take part.
This article is cited from https://reurl.cc/exgqRW