TY - JOUR

T1 - Complex Packaging Structures Based on Wood Derived Products: Actual and Future Possibilities for 1-Way Food Packages

AU - Schoukens, Gustaaf

AU - Breen, Christopher

AU - Baschetti, Marco Giacinti

AU - Elegir, Graziano

AU - Vaha-Nissi, Mika

AU - Liu, Qiuyun

AU - Tiekstra, Sanne

AU - Simon, Peter

PY - 2014/9/23

Y1 - 2014/9/23

N2 - Paper and paperboard are the most widely used packaging materials for both food and non-food products. Becausethey are composed of highly porous cellulose networks, they readily absorb moisture in high humidityenvironments or when in contact with liquid or high moisture foods. Therefore they are often coated withhydrophobic coating materials such as polyethylene (PE) to improve their water-resistant properties. One of themajor uses of such hydrophobic material coated paperboard is a disposable single-use paper cup with or without alid. Today, the paper-based materials are coated with a thin layer of a petroleum derived plastic, mostlypolyethylene, which has provided the cups and other packaging solutions with the required barrier property andwater resistance. Hence, the ongoing challenge is to coat the paper with a biobased, hydrophobic polymericmaterial which must be repulpable or otherwise biodegradable in most of the environments considered.Many interesting developments are already known for the manufacturing of cellulose-based products, such asmicrofibrillated celluloses (MFC’s) or modified celluloses, usable in the paper packaging industry. Paper andpaperboard in combination with Green-Polyethylene, MFC’s and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA’s) seems to be themost promising solution for the packaging industry in the near future and the development of the thermoplasticmodified celluloses for the next future. Regarding environmental considerations, PHA is a promising solution forthe paper packaging industry but the problem of material recycling has to be solved and a solution comparable withthe recyclability of PE-coated paper packaging products should be obtained.This review consists of a critical analysis of published results of 1-way food packaging and discusses more indetail what will be necessary for the development of 1-way food packaging based solely on wood derived productsand biodegradable polymers.

AB - Paper and paperboard are the most widely used packaging materials for both food and non-food products. Becausethey are composed of highly porous cellulose networks, they readily absorb moisture in high humidityenvironments or when in contact with liquid or high moisture foods. Therefore they are often coated withhydrophobic coating materials such as polyethylene (PE) to improve their water-resistant properties. One of themajor uses of such hydrophobic material coated paperboard is a disposable single-use paper cup with or without alid. Today, the paper-based materials are coated with a thin layer of a petroleum derived plastic, mostlypolyethylene, which has provided the cups and other packaging solutions with the required barrier property andwater resistance. Hence, the ongoing challenge is to coat the paper with a biobased, hydrophobic polymericmaterial which must be repulpable or otherwise biodegradable in most of the environments considered.Many interesting developments are already known for the manufacturing of cellulose-based products, such asmicrofibrillated celluloses (MFC’s) or modified celluloses, usable in the paper packaging industry. Paper andpaperboard in combination with Green-Polyethylene, MFC’s and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA’s) seems to be themost promising solution for the packaging industry in the near future and the development of the thermoplasticmodified celluloses for the next future. Regarding environmental considerations, PHA is a promising solution forthe paper packaging industry but the problem of material recycling has to be solved and a solution comparable withthe recyclability of PE-coated paper packaging products should be obtained.This review consists of a critical analysis of published results of 1-way food packaging and discusses more indetail what will be necessary for the development of 1-way food packaging based solely on wood derived productsand biodegradable polymers.

KW - paper, packaging, coating, bioplastics

U2 - 10.5539/jmsr.v3n4p58

DO - 10.5539/jmsr.v3n4p58

M3 - Article

VL - 3

SP - 58

EP - 67

JO - Journal of Materials Research

JF - Journal of Materials Research

SN - 0884-2914

IS - 4

ER -