Farm Produced Ultrathin Lightweight Packaging

该应用研究项目建立在班戈尔大学生物复合材料中心Valueform有限公司关于“当地农产品创新加工”的基础研究之上。该项目将：-i）使用植物基材料生产新型生物复合食品包装;谷物/油籽秸秆/和其他农业残留物，优化工艺变量以获得可再生材料ii）确认使用创新的农场技术将这些材料转化为零售食品包装，其成本与同期的不可再生产品相比具有竞争力。初步调查表明，这些生物复合材料比目前市场上可用的塑料、生物聚合物和淀粉基替代品更具资源效率。包装产品在使用后将是可生物降解/可堆肥的，以提供一种非常有效的报废处置选择，并有助于减少垃圾填埋。帝国理工学院伦敦的研究是在整个研发计划中使用生命周期评估（LCA）方法，以确定开发包装材料的环境概况。这将涉及分析材料生命周期的所有阶段，从农业纤维和其他副产品的选择，辅助材料（化学品，聚合物）的选择和纳入，生命周期的使用和分配阶段以及包装的最终处置（家庭堆肥，替代处置方案，回收潜力）。有各种各样的设计方案，将在该方案中进行研究。LCA将在其开始时引入，并在增量基础上发挥作用，以优化环境以及技术和经济参数的潜在生产路线。在项目结束时，将收集LCA信息（适当的功能单元定义、LCI数据集、LCIA、敏感性分析、不确定性分析），以支持新型包装材料的环境影响的完全符合ISO 14040的报告，并根据联合体的决定进行适当的声明

This applied research project builds on basic research by Valueform Ltd at the BioComposites Centre at Bangor University on 'Innovative processing of local agri-fibres'. This project will :-i) produce novel biocomposite food packaging using plant-based materials; cereal/oilseed straws/ and other agri-residues, optimising process variables to obtain ultrathin materials ii) confirm use of Innovative, farm-based technologies to convert these materials into retail food packages, at costs competitive with concurrent non-renewable products. Preliminary investigations indicates that these biocomposites can be more resource efficient than plastics, biopolymers and starch-based alternatives currently available on the market. The packaging products will be biodegradable /compostable post-use to deliver a very efficient end-of-life disposal option and also contribute to reductions in landfilling. The Imperial College London research within the consortium is to use Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methods throughout the R& D programme to define the environmental profiles of the developing packaging materials. This will involve analysis of all stages of the life cycle of the materials, from selection of agri-based fibers and other co-products, the selection and inclusion of ancilliary materials (chemicals, polymers), the use and distribution phase of the life cycle and the final disposal of the packaging (home composting, alternative disposal scenarios, recycling potential). There are a wide variety of design options that are to be investigated in the programme. LCA will be introduced at its inception and function on an incremental basis to inform optimisation of the potential production routes for environmental as well as technical and economic parameters. At the conclusion of the programme LCA information (appropriate functional unit definition(s), LCI datasets, LCIAs, sensitivity analysis, uncertainty analysis) will have been assembled to support full ISO 14040 compliant reporting of the environmental impact of the novel packaging materials and appropriate declarations at the discretion of the consortium