The project ran between May and October 2023.
Packaging plays an important role in protecting food and thereby preventing food spoilage. Paper and cardboard are therefore often coated with fossil-based plastic to protect the food from oxygen and moisture.
The aim of the project is to replace these fossil-based plastic barrier layers with thin layers of SiOx. Thin SiOx layers have previously been used to coat plastic films in order to improve their barrier properties. The project aims to apply this technique to paper substrates in a continuous process.
By coating paper with an extremely thin layer of SiOx, a substrate is obtained with good oxygen and moisture barrier properties, while the layer’s material share is negligible when it comes to recycling. The project will thus develop a new type of packaging material that is largely bio-based and recyclable.
In previous studies, thin SiOx layers have been used to improve barrier properties by coating plastic films. Based on this, the project’s goal was to replace fossil-based barrier layers with thin layers of SiOx (and Al or Al₂O₄). The aim was to expand this technique to paper substrates using a continuous process.
From the results of the tests carried out during the project, it appears that there is a slight improvement, but further studies are still needed to gain more knowledge and draw more precise conclusions.
Participants
RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, adapa Sweden Landskrona, Billerud and Chromogenics.
Budget
The project’s total budget was 460 000 SEK.
The new generation of measuring cells for measuring the oxygen barrier. Photographer: Johan Olsson.