Materials and technologies – March 2025

App-based system for intelligent food packaging
As part of her thesis (8.69 MB) at the University of Bonn, Claudia Waldhans developed an app-based system to read time–temperature indicators (TTIs) in intelligent packaging systems for temperature monitoring and shelf life prediction. The conducted pilot studies confirmed its feasibility, though environmental factors affect accuracy. The system offers potential for improving resource efficiency and reducing food waste in supply chains.

Recycling old textiles into paper
Researchers at TU Graz have developed a method to recover cotton fibres from textile waste and convert them into paper for packaging materials. This paper is stronger than conventional recycled paper due to the longer fibres (1.7mm) derived from textiles. Integrating these fibres into the paper recycling loop can reduce reliance on imported waste paper.

Packaging materials from biomass
TNO and partners are developing the Fabiola technology, which converts biomass into valuable products like lignin, which is a building block for chemicals such as adhesives and packaging foams. They are working to apply this successful separation technology on a larger scale in a demonstration biorefinery, which can process up to 1 million kilos of biomass per year.
PhD researchers from the University of Waterloo have created the start-up Metacycler to create biobased plastics that are flexible ad biodegradable. The Metacycler technology is now in the stage of commercialisation and they are collaborating with dairy farmers to use their waste as a raw material.
A study (2.64 MB) by the Bio-based Industries Consortium and the Renewable Carbon Initiative reveals that sustainably sourced agricultural and woody biomass can meet at least 20% of the EU chemical and materials industries' carbon demand by 2050. The study highlights that sustainable biomass can significantly reduce fossil-based carbon in these industries, including the packaging industry.

Innovative recycling methods
Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a PET recycling method that uses oxygen and a catalytic reaction to efficiently break down the polymers into valuable chemical building blocks. The non-toxic process operates under mild conditions and by selectively breaking carbon-carbon bonds, it achieves high yields of recycled material. The study (4.84 MB) is published in Green Chemistry.
A method to recycle black plastics using sunlight or white LEDs and a specialised additive has been developed at Cornell University. The approach enhances chemical recyclability by enabling selective bond breaking under light exposure, converting the plastic into reusable building blocks. This innovation addresses challenges in recycling black plastics, which are often difficult to process. The study (5.36 MB) is published in ACS Central Science.
Leiden University scientists have developed a novel recycling technology that uses dynamic chemical bonds to make traditionally hard-to-recycle plastics more recyclable. The process introduces reversible bonds into polymer structures, allowing the plastics to be broken down and reformed under controlled conditions.
 

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