Fraunhofer - IWKS shows applications for a new polymer raw material made from food residues, which is not only bio-based but also biodegradable: HyperBioCoat
11/19/2019
Fraunhofer IWKS offers a new polymer raw material that increases the protective effect of plastic packaging without impairing its recycling or compost properties. It can be combined with both conventional and compostable packaging materials. The researchers obtain their raw materials from large by-product streams in the food industry. In concrete terms, apple pomace is extracted into a hemicellulose product that is suitable for a wide variety of applications thanks to its branched polymer structures: from coatings that screen oxygen and water vapor, for films, trays and bottles made of plastics. The advantage: The raw material is bio-based and biodegradable, does not compete with the food industry, is available in sufficient quantities and can be purchased as a by-product at low cost.
As part of the EU-funded HyperBioCoat project, the raw material was successfully tested on demonstrators for food and cosmetic packaging. Find out more about the project and the use of hemicellulose as a sustainable polymer raw material and visit our press conference: |