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JOANNA KUZINCOW, COBRO – Packaging Research Institute

BY-PRODUCTS AS A RAW MATERIAL SOURCE

Polish wheat bran packaging Biotrem

COBRO – PACKAGING RESEARCH INSTITUTE

State, self-supporting research institution subordinated to the Ministry of Economy, founded in 1973.

Member of:

• World Packaging Organisation,

• International Association of Packaging Research Institutes,

• Polish Chamber of Packaging,

• European Bioplastics.

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• Packaging R&D Department:Packaging and Environment

DepartmentLaboratory for Packaging Materials

and Consumer Packaging Testing

• Laboratory for Transport Packaging Testing

• Certification Centre

• Standardization Department

• Packaging Spectrum Magazine

New, started in 2014 project BIOTREM NOVUM involves modification of wheat bran packaging produced currently by Aston Investment Ltd. and introduction of biodegradable polymers into their structure or coating its surface with such polymers.

Its objective is to enhance compostability with simultaneous improvement of product properties: processing speed and water resistance.

Project is co-financed by The National Centre for Research and Development under the pilot undertaking Support for research and development on a demonstration scale Demonstrator+.

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BIOTREM NOVUM

BY-PRODUCTS AS A RAW MATERIALS SOURCES

Wheat bran – seed husks from the remnants of the endosperm, is a by-product of the milling industry.

Only 20% of wheat bran can be used for feeding livestock, but the remaining mass requires disposal or recovery.

Long-term storage of plant products is expensive as appropriate conditions and measures are required.

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WHEAT BRAN AS PACKAGING MATERIAL

Production of BIOTREM biodegradableand compostable packaging, inter alia plates or cups (according to Comission Directive 2013/2/EU), from bran can be solution to the following problems:

• lack of packaging materials raw sources,• long-term plant storage.

It will allow the organic recycling of thousand tons of post-consumer waste and reduce the mass of plastic waste and will also significantly minimize use of petrochemical raw materials.

Wheat bran packaging is an example of sustainable packaging improving waste disposal by not causing further production of waste.

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WHEAT BRAN AS PACKAGING MATERIAL

Prototype batch of wheat bran packaging has been positively evaluated in terms of health quality by the National Institute of Public Health – National Institute of Hygiene.

Research of physical and mechanical properties and as well as heavy metals content determination tests (chromium, cadmium, mercury and lead) were carried out in COBRO. Total content of those metals has been assessed as very low.

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no TESTED MATERIAL Cr Cd Hg Pb

Pb, Cd, Hg,

Cr

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BIOTREMBio-

degradable tray

made from wheat bran

- 0.4 - 0.1 0,45 0,01

sour

ce: Ż

akow

ska

H.:

Syst

emy

recy

klin

gu o

dpad

ów

opak

owan

iow

ych

w a

spek

cie

wym

agań

och

rony

śr

odow

iska

, Wyd

awni

ctw

o A

kade

mii

Ekon

omic

znej

w P

ozna

niu,

Poz

nań

2008

.

Determination of biobased content of BIOTREM was carried out by Polish Poznan Radiocarbon Laboratory, using radiocarbon (radioactive isotope 14C) dating methodology and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) technique.

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WHEAT BRAN AS PACKAGING MATERIAL

no. of sample

SAMPLE DESCRIPTION

CARBON 14C CONTENT (AMS)

[pMC]*

1.CELLULOSE FILM NATUREFLEX

108.33 ± 0.43

2. polyethylene film PE-LD <0.22

3. expanded polystyrene EPS 0.27 ±0.07

4.polyolefin film with calcium carbonate

0.82 ±0.08

5. BIOTREM 109.65 ±0.35

6. PLA GRANULES 2002D 105.73 ±0.35

sour

ce: Ż

akow

ska

H.:

Bada

nia

zaw

arto

ści s

urow

ców

odn

awia

lnyc

h w

pol

imer

owyc

h m

ater

iała

ch o

pako

wan

iow

ych,

Pol

imer

y, is

sue

3/20

14, p

p. 2

27-2

30.

MODERN CARBON: PMC > 100Result „PMC > 100” signifies that contained organic carbon was assimilated from the atmosphere in the last decades of the 20th century or recent years.

*pMC – percent modern carbon

Use of by-product as feedstock:

• reduces the need for petrochemical and pulping industry,

• has very low production impact.

Composting bran-based packaging will reduce emission of greenhouse gases in contrast to incinerating and/or landfilling of conventional packaging.

BIOTREM’s concept of packaging fits well into the concept of modern and sustainable society.

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WHEAT BRAN AS PACKAGING MATERIAL

BIOTREM NOVUM:COATING

more applications

FOOD COMPANIES

CONSUMERS

MILLING BRAN COMPRESSION

MOULDINGPRE-

TREATMENT

WHEAT

RETAILWASTE

COLLECTION WITH

COMPOSTABLE WASTE

COMPOST

COMPOSTING

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BIOTREM NOVUM LIFE CYCLE

Technology and processing of BIOTREM is similar to this applied in conventional products from plastics and paper & board.

The production of bran-based products comprises of three steps: 1. PRE-TREATMENT OF BRAN,2. COMPRESSION MOULDING,3. COATING.

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BIOTREM NOVUM – production

1. PRE-TREATMENT OF BRAN

The bran is moistened, mixed and homogenised.

Food grade fats and compostable polyesters may be added to change final product properties.

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BIOTREM NOVUM – production

2. COMPRESSION MOULDING Forming of wheat bran material.

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3. COATINGCoating with composition of biodegradable polymers from renawable resources enhancing humidity resistance.

BIOTREM NOVUM – production

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BIOTREM NOVUM – applicationsCurrently in production: assortment of disposable plates and bowls.

Planned: injection moulded cutlery (PLA + bran) as well as coated surface plates, bowls and cups.

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SUMMARY

BIOTREM technology is in line with current trends of packaging, due to its bio-based nature. On the production stage BIOTREM means much lower carbon foootprint than conventional petroleum technologies.

BIOTREM technology corresponds with present state of environmental protection knowledge.

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JOANNA KUZINCOWHead of Packaging Support Systems Department

kuzincow@cobro.org.pl

COBRO – Packaging Research Institute11 Konstancinska Str., 02-942 Warsaw, Poland

Tel. +48 22 842 20 11 www.cobro.org.pl

THANK YOU