Biodegradable composite of nanofibrilated cellulose and beeswax with high water vapor and oxygen barrier for food packaging

• Grant number: 21/01396-1
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: October 01, 2021
• End date: June 30, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Gustavo de Souza
• Grantee: Gustavo de Souza
• Company: Gustavo de Souza
• CNAE: Pesquisa e desenvolvimento experimental em ciências físicas e naturais
• City: São Carlos
• Associated researchers: Henrique Finocchio ; Marcio Kobayashi
• Associated scholarship(s): 21/11011-0 - Biodegradable composite of nanofibrillated cellulose and beeswax with high barrier to water vapor and oxygen for applications in food films, BP.PIPE

Abstract

Biodegradable alternatives to replace polymeric packaging from petroleum are scarce in the market due to the low properties and the high cost presented by the existing solutions. Sustainable packaging is essential to meet current requirements, international agreements and also demand from the consumer market. The fundamental objective of this proposal is to verify the feasibility of applying NFC and beeswax composites for the production of films in a continuous and scalable way, which were developed in the laboratory and are very promising for the production of films for various packaging. In previous research, the results obtained for water vapor and O2 barrier properties of NFC and beeswax composites were similar to the requirements for synthetic polymers (in the order of 10g / m² * day). In addition, mechanical properties of at least 3 GPa of elastic modulus and 36 MPa of tensile strength limit were measured. Previously the films were obtained on a laboratory scale through the evaporation of water from emulsions with high concentration (+ 90%). In the current project, the objective is to eliminate excess water before drying and other production processes employed. A feasibility analysis of the materials developed will be made by measuring their physical-chemical properties, contact with water, water vapor barrier and oxygen and the conservation of selected foods, which will be measured through mass gain, chemical composition variation and sensory analysis. These niches will be explored for the establishment of new packaging, components of phase 2 of the project. The Proponent had conducted the project as a microentrepreneur in partnership with other research centers. (AU)