Use of Waste Generated during the Manufacture of Bioplastics from Sewage Sludge

There is an evolution and progress that has been taking place in recent years in science and technology and in the evolution of polymers that have created new plastic materials with excellent physical properties and durability. However, the plastic products that are made, generally have several applications, but for a single use, especially if it is in the part of food packaging, or for the pharmaceutical industry, in medical applications. Since these materials are not biodegradable, they remain on the surface of the earth for hundreds of years without considerable changes in their structure, causing pollution and damage to wildlife and the environment. With this research we intend to eliminate these plastics from petroleum derivatives, by biodegradable plastics. At the same time, the use of the generated by-products is sought, giving them an energy, thermal or fertilizer value.

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Plastic Food Packaging: Perceptions and Attitudes of Portuguese Consumers about Environmental Impact and Recycling

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13179953 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (17) ◽

pp. 9953

Author(s):

Morgana Weber Macena ◽

Rita Carvalho ◽

Luísa Paula Cruz-Lopes ◽

Raquel P. F. Guiné

Keyword(s):

Food Packaging ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Plastic Packages ◽

Plastic Bags ◽

Perceptions And Attitudes ◽

Plastic Materials ◽

Different Types ◽

Single Use ◽

Strongly Agree

The use of plastics for packaging has some advantages, since they are flexible and inexpensive. However, most plastics are of single use, which, combined with low recycling or reuse ratios, contributes substantially to environmental pollution. This work is part of a project studying the habits of Portuguese citizens concerning plastic food packaging and focuses on aspects related to sustainability. The survey was carried out via an online questionnaire about sustainability, recycling, and knowledge of the effects of plastic materials or their residues on the environment. The results were obtained based on a statistical analysis of the data. The participants tend to think about the negative impact of plastic packages on the environment; 39% sometimes do not buy plastic; and 30% try to look for alternatives. A substantial fraction, 81%, support the avoidance of plastic utensils and reduction in the use of plastic bags. Most participants have a good knowledge of recycling and strongly agree with the use of recycled materials, and 87% of respondents practice separation of different types of waste for recycling. Changing plastic consumption habits has not been an easy task. Nevertheless, it is expected that society will increasingly move toward sustainable habits, questioning its actions and considering their impact on the environment.

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Coffee By-Products and Their Suitability for Developing Active Food Packaging Materials

Foods ◽

10.3390/foods10030683 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 683

Author(s):

Gonçalo Oliveira ◽

Cláudia P. Passos ◽

Paula Ferreira ◽

Manuel A. Coimbra ◽

Idalina Gonçalves

Keyword(s):

Food Packaging ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Surface Hydrophobicity ◽

Antimicrobial Activities ◽

Mechanical Resistance ◽

Spent Coffee Grounds ◽

Plastic Materials ◽

Active Food Packaging ◽

Coffee Grounds ◽

By Products

The coffee industry generates a wide variety of by-products derived from green coffee processing (pulp, mucilage, parchment, and husk) and roasting (silverskin and spent coffee grounds). All these fractions are simply discarded, despite their high potential value. Given their polysaccharide-rich composition, along with a significant number of other active biomolecules, coffee by-products are being considered for use in the production of plastics, in line with the notion of the circular economy. This review highlights the chemical composition of coffee by-products and their fractionation, evaluating their potential for use either as polymeric matrices or additives for developing plastic materials. Coffee by-product-derived molecules can confer antioxidant and antimicrobial activities upon plastic materials, as well as surface hydrophobicity, gas impermeability, and increased mechanical resistance, suitable for the development of active food packaging. Overall, this review aims to identify sustainable and eco-friendly strategies for valorizing coffee by-products while offering suitable raw materials for biodegradable plastic formulations, emphasizing their application in the food packaging sector.

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Monomers, Materials and Energy from Coffee By-Products: A Review

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13126921 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (12) ◽

pp. 6921

Author(s):

Laura Sisti ◽

Annamaria Celli ◽

Grazia Totaro ◽

Patrizia Cinelli ◽

Francesca Signori ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Circular Economy ◽

Food Industry ◽

Food Packaging ◽

Low Cost ◽

Biofuel Production ◽

Material Technology ◽

Coffee Production ◽

Coffee Pulp ◽

Coffee Waste ◽

By Products

In recent years, the circular economy and sustainability have gained attention in the food industry aimed at recycling food industrial waste and residues. For example, several plant-based materials are nowadays used in packaging and biofuel production. Among them, by-products and waste from coffee processing constitute a largely available, low cost, good quality resource. Coffee production includes many steps, in which by-products are generated including coffee pulp, coffee husks, silver skin and spent coffee. This review aims to analyze the reasons why coffee waste can be considered as a valuable source in recycling strategies for the sustainable production of bio-based chemicals, materials and fuels. It addresses the most recent advances in monomer, polymer and plastic filler productions and applications based on the development of viable biorefinery technologies. The exploration of strategies to unlock the potential of this biomass for fuel productions is also revised. Coffee by-products valorization is a clear example of waste biorefinery. Future applications in areas such as biomedicine, food packaging and material technology should be taken into consideration. However, further efforts in techno-economic analysis and the assessment of the feasibility of valorization processes on an industrial scale are needed.

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Application of failure mode and effects analysis to reduce microplastic emissions

Waste Management & Research ◽

10.1177/0734242x211003133 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 0734242X2110031

Author(s):

Ana Pires ◽

Paula Sobral

Keyword(s):

Failure Mode ◽

Quantitative Methods ◽

Policy Instruments ◽

Effect Analysis ◽

Advantages And Disadvantages ◽

Heuristic Technique ◽

Single Use ◽

Regulatory Measures ◽

Plastic Products

A complete understanding of the occurrence of microplastics and the methods to eliminate their sources is an urgent necessity to minimize the pollution caused by microplastics. The use of plastics in any form releases microplastics to the environment. Existing policy instruments are insufficient to address microplastics pollution and regulatory measures have focussed only on the microbeads and single-use plastics. Fees on the use of plastic products may possibly reduce their usage, but effective management of plastic products at their end-of-life is lacking. Therefore, in this study, the microplastic–failure mode and effect analysis (MP–FMEA) methodology, which is a semi-qualitative approach capable of identifying the causes and proposing solutions for the issue of microplastics pollution, has been proposed. The innovative feature of MP–FMEA is that it has a pre-defined failure mode, that is, the release of microplastics to air, water and soil (depending on the process) or the occurrence of microplastics in the final product. Moreover, a theoretical recycling plant case study was used to demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of this method. The results revealed that MP–FMEA is an easy and heuristic technique to understand the failure-effect-causes and solutions for reduction of microplastics and can be applied by researchers working in different domains apart from those relating to microplastics. Future studies can include the evaluation of the use of MP–FMEA methodology along with quantitative methods for effective reduction in the release of microplastics.

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Determination of Bio Content in Polymers used in the Packaging of food Products

Radiocarbon ◽

10.1017/rdc.2019.141 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 61 (6) ◽

pp. 1973-1981

Author(s):

C Telloli ◽

A Rizzo ◽

C Canducci ◽

P Bartolomei

Keyword(s):

Food Packaging ◽

Liquid Scintillation ◽

Scintillation Counting ◽

Operational Parameters ◽

Original Design ◽

Plastic Materials ◽

Different Types ◽

Scintillation Method

ABSTRACTThe ENEA Radiocarbon Laboratory (Bologna, Italy) has been operating since 1985; it is the oldest among such laboratories operating in Italy and has been active for about 30 years in the field of dating of different types of samples with the radiocarbon (14C) liquid scintillation method. This study shows the detailed procedure for radiocarbon analysis on bioplastic materials by means of the synthesis of benzene, which includes CO2 production and purification, synthesis of acetylene, and synthesis and collection of benzene. The changes made to the original design of the synthesis procedures and the operational parameters adopted to optimize the combustion of the plastic materials are described. The measurement of 14C activity was performed using the liquid scintillation counting technique by a QuantulusTM 1220 low-background counter. The δ13C content was compared with the percentage of 14C concentration for the characterization of the bio content in plastic used in the food packaging.

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Progress in Starch-Based Materials for Food Packaging Applications

Polysaccharides ◽

10.3390/polysaccharides3010007 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 136-177

Author(s):

Lucia García-Guzmán ◽

Gustavo Cabrera-Barjas ◽

Cintya G. Soria-Hernández ◽

Johanna Castaño ◽

Andrea Y. Guadarrama-Lezama ◽

...

Keyword(s):

3D Printing ◽

Chemical Modification ◽

Shelf Life ◽

Food Packaging ◽

Environmentally Friendly ◽

High Demand ◽

Promising Alternative ◽

Recent Developments ◽

Single Use ◽

Processing Techniques

The food packaging sector generates large volumes of plastic waste due to the high demand for packaged products with a short shelf-life. Biopolymers such as starch-based materials are a promising alternative to non-renewable resins, offering a sustainable and environmentally friendly food packaging alternative for single-use products. This article provides a chronology of the development of starch-based materials for food packaging. Particular emphasis is placed on the challenges faced in processing these materials using conventional processing techniques for thermoplastics and other emerging techniques such as electrospinning and 3D printing. The improvement of the performance of starch-based materials by blending with other biopolymers, use of micro- and nano-sized reinforcements, and chemical modification of starch is discussed. Finally, an overview of recent developments of these materials in smart food packaging is given.

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Preparation and characterization of activated carbon from sewage sludge: carbonization step

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2004.0041 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

pp. 139-146 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

S. Rio ◽

C. Faur-Brasquet ◽

L. Le Coq ◽

D. Lecomte ◽

P. Le Cloirec

Keyword(s):

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Activated Carbon ◽

Sewage Sludge ◽

Thermal Treatment ◽

Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽

Carbonization Temperature ◽

Carbon Production ◽

By Products ◽

Characterization Of Activated Carbon

Sewage sludges produced from wastewater treatment plants continue to create environmental problems in terms of volume and method of valorization. Thermal treatment of sewage sludge is considered as an attractive method in reducing sludge volume which at the same time produces reusable by-products. This paper deals with the first step of activated carbon production from sewage sludge, the carbonization step. Experiments are carried out on viscous liquid sludge and limed sludge by varying carbonization temperature and heating rate. The results show that carbonized residue properties are interesting for activated carbon production.

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Vegetable Additives in Food Packaging Polymeric Materials

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym12010028 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 28 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Silvestru Bogdănel Munteanu ◽

Cornelia Vasile

Keyword(s):

Plant Extracts ◽

Food Packaging ◽

Polymeric Materials ◽

Lignocellulosic Materials ◽

Lignocellulosic Fibers ◽

Nano Cellulose ◽

Biomass Plant ◽

Phenolic And Flavonoid ◽

Phenolic And Flavonoid Compounds ◽

By Products

Plants are the most abundant bioresources, providing valuable materials that can be used as additives in polymeric materials, such as lignocellulosic fibers, nano-cellulose, or lignin, as well as plant extracts containing bioactive phenolic and flavonoid compounds used in the healthcare, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and nutraceutical industries. The incorporation of additives into polymeric materials improves their properties to make them suitable for multiple applications. Efforts are made to incorporate into the raw polymers various natural biobased and biodegradable additives with a low environmental fingerprint, such as by-products, biomass, plant extracts, etc. In this review we will illustrate in the first part recent examples of lignocellulosic materials, lignin, and nano-cellulose as reinforcements or fillers in various polymer matrices and in the second part various applications of plant extracts as active ingredients in food packaging materials based on polysaccharide matrices (chitosan/starch/alginate).

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Polylactic Acid/Polycaprolactone Blends: On the Path to Circular Economy, Substituting Single-Use Commodity Plastic Products

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma13112655 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 2655 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Marc Delgado-Aguilar ◽

Rita Puig ◽

Ilija Sazdovski ◽

Pere Fullana-i-Palmer

Keyword(s):

Tensile Strength ◽

Young’S Modulus ◽

Polylactic Acid ◽

Circular Economy ◽

High Density Polyethylene ◽

Young's Modulus ◽

Single Use ◽

Internal Mixer ◽

Impact Characteristics ◽

Plastic Products

Circular economy comes to break the linear resource to waste economy, by introducing different strategies, two of them being: using material from renewable sources and producing biodegradable products. The present work aims at developing polylactic acid (PLA), typically made from fermented plant starch, and polycaprolactone (PCL) blends, a biodegradable polyester, to study their potential to be used as substitutes of oil-based commodity plastics. For this, PLA/PCL blends were compounded in a batch and lab scale internal mixer and processed by means of injection molding. Tensile and impact characteristics were determined and compared to different thermoplastic materials, such as polypropylene, high density polyethylene, polystyrene, and others. It has been found that the incorporation of PCL into a PLA matrix can lead to materials in the range of 18.25 to 63.13 megapascals of tensile strength, 0.56 to 3.82 gigapascals of Young’s modulus, 12.65 to 3.27 percent of strain at maximum strength, and 35 to 2 kJ/m2 of notched impact strength. The evolution of the tensile strength fitted the Voigt and Reuss model, while Young’s modulus was successfully described by the rule of mixtures. Toughness of PLA was significantly improved with the incorporation of PCL, significantly increasing the energy required to fracture the specimens. Blends containing more than 20 wt% of PCL did not break when unnotched specimens were tested. Overall, it was found that the obtained PLA/PCL blends can constitute a strong and environmentally friendly alternative to oil-based commodity materials.

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Compostable Polylactide and Cellulose Based Packaging for Fresh-Cut Cherry Tomatoes: Performance Evaluation and Influence of Sterilization Treatment

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma13153432 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (15) ◽

pp. 3432 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Marco Rapisarda ◽

Cristina Patanè ◽

Alessandra Pellegrino ◽

Angelo Malvuccio ◽

Valeria Rizzo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Packaging ◽

Transmission Rate ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Oxygen Demand ◽

Barrier Properties ◽

Attenuated Total Reflection ◽

Cherry Tomato ◽

Plastic Materials ◽

Before And After ◽

Fresh Cut

For food packaging, plastic materials display large appeal, mostly due to their versatility, mechanical, optical and barrier properties. However, they play an important role in environmental concerns and waste management issue. Compostable bioplastics represent alternative materials designed for a lower environmental impact. In this work, a biobased compostable packaging, constituted by polylactide (PLA) trays and NatureFlex™ film, was evaluated for fresh-cut cherry tomato. A comparative analysis was accomplished using traditional packaging materials, that is, polyethylene terephtalate (PET) trays and polypropylene (PP Coex) film. Structural stability under food contact conditions, mechanical and physical-chemical properties were investigated. Tensile mechanical properties, puncture resistance, contact angle (CA) and attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), before and after UV or radiofrequency (RF) sterilization treatment, were evaluated. UV irradiation method resulted the less invasive one. Therefore, oxygen and water vapor transmission rate (OTR and WVTR), overall chemical migration test, biodegradation assessment by biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) according to ISO 14851 and disintegration test by ISO 20200 were carried out to establish the further influence of UV sterilization on the packaging. Overall, data showed that the biobased compostable packaging for a prolonged shelf-life of fresh-cut cherry tomato has better properties that were surprisingly enhanced by the UV treatment.

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