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Poly-Paper: A Sustainable Material for Packaging, Based on Recycled Paper and Recyclable with Paper

2016; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 14; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.5301/jabfm.5000335

2280-8000

Barbara Del Curto, Nadia Barelli, Mauro Profaizer, Silvia Farè, Maria Cristina Tanzi, A. Cigada, Giulia Ognibene, Giuseppe Recca, Gianluca Cicala,

Material Properties and Processing

Background Until now, environmental sustainability issues are almost entirely unsolved for packaging materials. With the final aim of finding materials with a single recycling channel, cellulose fiber/poly(vinyl)alcohol composites were investigated. Methods After extrusion and injection molding, samples of composite with different cellulose fiber content (30%, 50% and 70% w/w) were tested. Results Tensile mechanical tests exhibited an improvement in composite stiffness when the reinforcement content was increased together with a decrease in composite elongation. Solubility tests performed at room temperature and 45°C showed different behavior depending on the water-resistant film applied on the composite (50% cellulose fiber content). In particular, the uncoated composite showed complete solubility after 2 hours, whereas at the same time point, no solubility occurred when a non-water-soluble varnish was used. Conclusions The proposed composites, named Poly-paper, appear to warrant further investigation as highly sustainable packaging.