SBIR Phase II: BP 1 - Microwaveable Bioplastic Packaging

SBIR的第二阶段研究开发了创新的纳米技术，允许将生物塑料用于食品包装。聚乳酸（PLA）是一种由可再生资源制成的对环境有益的生物塑料;然而，PLA的性能是有限的。 这使得它不适合用于微波食品包装。在第一阶段，来自早期NSF资助的大学专业知识被用于配制具有合适性能（包括成本）的生物塑料。在第二阶段，一个可行的食品包装托盘的生产路线将在试点工厂一级与一个大型工业制造合作伙伴密切合作。第二阶段SBIR研究的更广泛影响将是多方面的。新的生物塑料在数量上比石油塑料更环保。生物塑料由可再生资源制成，因此同时有助于减少对外国石油的依赖，同时提供环境效益。使用国内生物质资源提供了与中国等低劳动力成本制造商的竞争优势，有助于阻止塑料行业的失业。目前，聚苯乙烯主要用于塔盘应用，并且用3-5重量%的烃发泡。PLA可以用二氧化碳发泡，因此这项新技术具有额外的好处，每年至少可以取代100万磅的污染物挥发性有机碳（VOC）。

This Phase II SBIR research develops innovative nanotechnology to allow the use of bioplastics for food packaging. Polylactic acid (PLA) is an environmentally beneficial bioplastic made from renewable resources; however, the properties of PLA are limited. This makes it unsuited for use in microwaveable food packaging. In Phase I, university expertise resulting from earlier NSF funding was used to formulate a bioplastic with suitable properties, including cost. In Phase II, a viable manufacturing route towards food packing trays will be demonstrated at the pilot plant level working in close collaboration with a large industrial manufacturing partner. The broader impacts of this Phase II SBIR research will be manifold. The new bioplastics are quantitatively more environmentally benign that petroplastics. Bioplastics are made form renewable resources and therefore simultaneously help decrease dependence on foreign oil while providing environmental benefits. Using a domestic biomass resource provides a competitive advantage against low labor cost manufacturers like China helping to stem job losses in the plastics industries. Presently, polystyrene is largely used for tray applications and foamed with 3-5 weight percent hydrocarbons. PLA can be foamed with carbon dioxide so the new technology has the additional benefit of displacing at least 1 million pounds per year of the pollutant volatile organic carbons (VOCs).