An Overview on the Environmental Impact of Food Packaging

The NH4OH-KOH pulping was a highly efficient process for extracting banana pseudostem waste (BNW) pulp. Besides, this greener pulping process allowed NH4OH recovery and KOH can be later used as fertilizer, reducing the environmental impact. It was found that the optimal BNW pulping condition was using 8.3 wt% NH4OH and 3.3 wt% KOH at a cooking temperature of 155°C for 1 h, and liquid to solid ratio 6:1. From the results, this process allowed low chemical usage and provided high pulp yield (44%) with a high delignification degree (80%) and low Kappa no. (22). After pulping, the single-stage bleaching of BNW pulp using 8 wt% H2O2 and 1.5 wt% NaOH at 90°C for 1 h was shown to improve the whiteness and brightness of the BNW molded pulp samples to 69.7% and 28.7%ISO (3-fold increase), respectively. As compared to commercial molded pulp food packaging, the present BNW molded pulp exhibited a superior tensile index of 54.3 Nm/g and Young’s modulus of 4.8 GPa.

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Prioritization guidelines for green food packaging development

British Food Journal ◽

10.1108/bfj-12-2015-0462 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 118 (10) ◽

pp. 2512-2533 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Katrin Molina-Besch

Keyword(s):

Environmental Impact ◽

Food Packaging ◽

Content Type ◽

Common Life ◽

Priority Areas ◽

Green Food ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Green Packaging ◽

Environmental Requirements

Purpose Current literature emphasises using a holistic perspective on green packaging development (GPD) as an important strategy for reducing the environmental impact of products’ supply chain (SC). In practice, however, it can be difficult for packaging developers to strike a balance between all the different environmental requirements on packaging, and trade-offs are common. Life cycle assessment (LCA) can provide this type of information, but many food companies lack the time and resources to conduct detailed assessments. The purpose of this paper is to provide prioritization guidelines for food GPD based on a systematic review of food LCAs. Design/methodology/approach As basis for the suggested guidelines, 48 food LCAs covering eight types of food were reviewed following a standardized format. The review consisted of a quantitative analysis of the global warming potential results and a qualitative analysis of the LCAs’ conclusions. Findings The prioritization guidelines propose three priority areas for food GPD that companies can select from based on product characteristics. They also provide suggestions for improving packaging in the three priority areas. Originality/value The proposed guidelines can help food companies develop packaging solutions that contribute to minimising the environmental impact along food SCs. The review focuses on the role of packaging in food SCs, which has not been previously analysed in published LCA reviews.

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Evaluation of the environmental impact of portion bag for food packaging: a case study of Thailand

IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science ◽

10.1088/1755-1315/67/1/012001 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 67 ◽

pp. 012001 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Chaniporn Ruangrit ◽

Parnuwat Usapein ◽

Nantamol Limphitakphong ◽

Orathai Chavalparit

Keyword(s):

Environmental Impact ◽

Food Packaging

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Film Blowing of PHB-Based Systems for Home Compostable Food Packaging

International Polymer Processing ◽

10.1515/ipp-2020-350506 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (5) ◽

pp. 440-447

Author(s):

P. F. Teixeira ◽

J. A. Covas ◽

M. J. Suarez ◽

I. Angulo ◽

L. Hilliou

Keyword(s):

Environmental Impact ◽

Biodegradable Polymer ◽

Food Packaging ◽

Barrier Properties ◽

Film Blowing ◽

Elongation At Break ◽

Plastics Waste

Abstract One of the routes to minimize the environmental impact of plastics waste is the use of bio-sourced and biodegradable alternatives, particularly for packaging applications. Although Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are attractive candidates for food packaging, they have poor processability, particularly for extrusion film blowing. Thus, one relatively successful alternative has been blending PHA with a biodegradable polymer. This work proposes film blowing of a co-extruded Poly (hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) layer with a poly butylene adipateco- terephtalate (PBAT) layer to enhance bubble stability, mechanical and barrier properties. Co-extrusion is detailed, together with the different strategies followed to improve adhesion between film layers and the PHB content in the films. Films with thicknesses below 50 micron and elongation at break beyond 500% were consistently produced.

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Synergistic effect of carbon nanoparticles on the mechanical and thermal properties of poly(lactic acid) as promising systems for packaging

Journal of Composite Materials ◽

10.1177/0021998320927779 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 54 (27) ◽

pp. 4133-4144

Author(s):

Anne Caroline da Silva Rocha ◽

Lívia Rodrigues Menezes ◽

Emerson Oliveira da Silva ◽

Maria Clara Guimarães Pedrosa

Keyword(s):

Lactic Acid ◽

Environmental Impact ◽

Synergistic Effect ◽

Polymer Nanocomposites ◽

Carbon Nanoparticles ◽

Food Packaging ◽

Ternary Systems ◽

Poly Lactic Acid ◽

Mechanical Resistance ◽

Mechanical And Thermal Properties

Due to the high demand of the use of food packaging in the present day, the waste from the material disposal has become a problem of high environmental impact. In this perspective, biodegradable polymers can represent a viable alternative as they degrade after their disposal, thus reducing their environmental impact. The poly(lactic acid) or polylactide is a biodegradable, biocompatible, and compostable polymer, being considered by many authors as one of the most promising biopolymers in industrial applications. However, its low thermal and mechanical properties make it an unfeasible option to replace synthetic polymers. Consequently, polymer nanocomposites containing carbon nanoparticles are products of relevant interest currently, mainly due to the thermal, mechanical, electrical, and optical properties these materials can present. Therefore, carbon nanoparticles (carbon nanotubes, graphene, and fullerene) modified with octadecylamine in their isolated state and in ternary systems in concentrations of 0.01%, 0.03%, and 0.09% were obtained from poly(lactic acid) polymer nanocomposites. After obtaining them, these systems were analyzed by TGA, DSC, FTIR, XRD, SEM, DMA, and NMR techniques. The presence of the octadecylamine modified carbon nanoparticles was able to increase the thermal and mechanical resistance of the poly(lactic acid) matrix. The systems with 0.03% of the nanostructures showed better results in both analyses. In the system with 0.09%, agglomeration occurred, and in ternary systems, the application of these particles results in a greater impact on the molecular mobility exhibiting a synergistic effect that may come from a better dispersion.

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