Grant: CCI Applied Research and Development Grants

This project aims to scale up production of high barrier cellulose film for packaging. This follows a previous ARD project which allowed the research team to develop a lab-scale cellulose barrier film. Cellulose film offers great barriers to oxygen, water vapour and grease, while maintaining the mechanical properties of cellulose. This material will replace petroleum-based multilayer packaging. This packaging is currently little or not recycled and non-biodegradable. Cellulose is an abundant, economical, and biobased material that will provide affordable and environmentally friendly packaging solutions. Indeed, in response to growing consumer and government demands for greener packaging, food and packaging companies are actively seeking alternatives to traditional petro-sourced plastic. The solution developed in this project based on nanofibrillated cellulose and biopolymers will be recyclable and compostable. The film is to be produced using technologies and machinery available at Kruger mills, allowing for faster technology transfer. For this, multiple trials are planned over the next 3 years on Innofibre pilot equipment, from pulp dispersion, to film formation on the pilot paper machine and, to coating on the Innofibre pilot coater. Kruger engineering team will be fully involved in the project.