Grant: Alliance Grants

The world produces 300 million tons of plastic waste annually. New regulations and consumer pressure are driving the need for sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic packaging. However, recyclable and compostable alternatives do not provide an adequate barrier to the water and oxygen that cause food to spoil. As a result, the food packaging industry is urgently looking for barrier solutions. Nfinite Nanotechnology is developing atmospheric-pressure spatial atomic layer deposition (AP-SALD) technology to manufacture barrier coatings for sustainable packaging. This project at the University of Waterloo will develop optimized nanocoatings that reproducibly meet the requirements of the packaging industry. Small-area samples will first be produced, then coated rolls of different packaging materials will be demonstrated and studied. Scaled AP-SALD processes that minimize process maintenance will be developed, as well as in-situ characterization tools to monitor coating quality in real time. Furthermore, the next generation of lower-cost and more-flex-resistant barrier coatings will be developed. The technology developed in this project will allow Nfinite to work with its industry partners to start market trials. Nfinite is forecasting coating production volumes of >100 kilotons by 2035. Hence the technology has the potential for significant economic gains for the Canadian manufacturing sector and will reduce costs associated with the harmful effects and cleanup of plastic waste globally. The project will train 12 technical professionals for the advanced manufacturing sector and lead to significant environmental and societal impacts. By replacing single-use plastic packaging with compostable and recyclable alternatives, Nfinite plans to eliminate over 85 kilotons of landfill waste and 190 kilotons of CO2 (equivalent) emissions annually by 2035.