CORAL:Compostable Foams from Renewable Algae Sources: development and identification of strategies for their implementation

迫切需要一种通过将材料保持在经济中来减少塑料包装废物影响的系统。2019年，约有47百万吨塑料包装废物从收集系统泄漏，污染了我们的环境。由于快递服务等新生活方式的蓬勃发展，这一数字在全球范围内不断增加。因此，需要整个塑料价值链之间的协调行动来重新设计塑料系统，从生物塑料开发研究的资本投资到废物管理标准化的国际凝聚力或提高消费者意识的措施的实施。CORAL旨在开发一系列可升级的藻类和可堆肥泡沫，作为包装泡沫的可持续替代品（例如，（b）在废物管理系统中，研究这些措施的适用性和可接受性，以确定成功实施这些措施的战略。CORAL使用基于藻类的原料作为与食品生产竞争的其他生物基材料来源的替代品，通过结合机械发泡和生物聚合物混合物的溶胶-凝胶转变来制造泡沫。此外，该项目采用生态设计方法进行配方和加工开发，在开发阶段结合生命周期分析，考虑到泡沫对环境的影响，并遵守家庭堆肥认证计划。CORAL承认，可持续材料研究只是循环经济的一个小利基。因此，该项目从广泛的利益相关者的角度探讨了对CORAL泡沫的态度，沿着一般生物塑料，以了解与其实施和寿命终止相关的挑战，从而影响连贯政策和有效废物管理系统的发展

A system that reduces the impact of plastic packaging waste by keeping materials in the economy is urgently needed. Around 47 Mt of plastic packaging waste leaked from collection systems and polluted our environment in 2019. This figure is continuously increasing worldwide due to the booming of new lifestyles, such as express delivery services. Therefore, coordinated action between the entire plastics value chain is required to redesign the plastic systems, from capital investment for research in bioplastics development to international cohesion in waste management standardisation or implementation of measures to increase consumer awareness. CORAL aims to develop a family of upscalable algae-based and compostable foams as a sustainable alternative for packaging foams for delivery (e.g., expanded polystyrene, polyethylene and polyurethane) and to investigate their applicability and acceptability within the waste management system to identify strategies for their successful implementation. CORAL uses algae-based feedstocks as an alternative to other biobased material sources that compete with food production to manufacture foams by combining mechanical foaming and sol-gel transition of the biopolymer blend. In addition, this project uses an eco-design approach for formulation and processing development, considering the environmental impact of the foams by integrating Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) during the development stage and compliance with home-composting certification schemes. CORAL acknowledges that sustainable materials research is only a small niche for a circular economy. Thus, the project explores the attitudes toward CORAL's foams, along with bioplastics in general, from a broad stakeholders' perspective to understand the challenges associated with their implementation and end-of-life to influence the development of coherent policy and effective waste management systems