(Credit: Michal Jarmoluk)
According to an article on news-bio-based.eu the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Materials Recycling and Resource Strategies IWKS shows applications for a new polymer raw material made from food residues, which is not only bio-based but also biodegradable.
Plastics are versatile materials – hardly any consumer product can do without this durable material. Especially for food packaging, plastic is able to guarantee hygiene requirements, long shelf life and easy availability of products. However, many high-performance plastic packaging products also contribute to increased waste generation and environmental pollution. Thus, the individual polymers cannot be economically recovered from multilayer packaging films for the production of new packaging films. BIodegradable bioplastics as a sustainable alternative have been on the market for several decades. However, a higher price and properties that still lag behind those of conventional plastics have so far prevented a broad application.
