BioBarr concerns the development of new bio-based and biodegradable food packaging materials by enhancing barrier functionalities to the biopolymer PHAs (polyhydroxyalkanoates) and by validating the new material in the food industry environment. PHAs is potential substitute for conventional polymers, since they possess similar properties; respect to polylactic acid (the most widespread biobased/biodegradable material), PHAs show higher biodegradability and better functional properties and mechanical strength. However, applications of PHAs as food packaging materials are subjected to some limitations. PHA shows medium values of O2 and H2O transmittance while many the most critical factors for some foods (such dry products as bakeries) in relation to packaging are moisture uptake leading to loss of crispiness and oxidation of fats. For overcoming this limiting factor in PHA food applications, BioBarr aims to enhance PHA vapour and gas barrier properties through material functionalization. In the first research line, the approach consists of the use of biodegradable materials with adequate properties to be compounded in multi-layer structures specific for the food product category to be packed, in order to optimize functional properties. The innovation consists of laminating PHA with PLA (polylactic acid). The second challenging research line in BioBarr is surface treatments (nanoform metallization with AlOx or SiOx or metallization Aluminum process) of PHA films. New materials will be validated on a restricted number of food products in the sector of bakery, representative of different shelf-life requirements and duration, with the purpose to increase shelf-life at least by 10%. Final impact will be the creation of a new biobased value chain. Proposal takes into account the needs and the growth opportunities of actors operating in each value chain step: bioplastic producer, extrusion and filming actors, converter, inks producers, food industries end-users

The aim of PULPACKTION project is to develop cellulose-based tailored-to-purpose packaging solutions for specific food and electronic packaging applications which needs medium and high barrier requirement’s and that nowadays are packing in polymer fossil based solutions. This innovation will take advantage of the flexibility in the wet-moulding production of wood pulp based materials. Different types of wood pulp will be combined to prepare slurries for wet-moulding applications. These slurries will be additivated with biopolymers and other bio-based compounds in order to tailor the final properties of the resulting wet-moulded materials. By tailoring the composition of the wet mouldable slurry, a wide range of final properties in the resulting dry material will be achieved. This flexible packaging manufacturing system will be combined with 100% bio-based coatings and films on the cellulose-based substrate. To fulfil the properties required for PULPACKTION’s specific packaging applications using a fully bio-based approach, additional barriers will be implemented onto the wet moulded substrate. For this purpose, new bio-based polymer blends will be optimized. These new blends, containing biopolymers such as thermoplastic starch (TPS), poly (lactic acid) (PLA), other bio-additives, and reinforcements such as microfibrillated cellulose (MFC), will be processed into multilayer films, composites and coatings. In this manner, not only coatings for improved barrier properties, but also 100% bio-based films for packages’ top lids will be produced. Therefore, a final 100% bio-biobased integral packaging solution with similar properties to existing fossil-based packaging solutions will be achieved.