Roll‐to‐Roll Processing of Biodegradable Multilayer Barrier Packaging Structures

ABSTRACT As food supply chains are becoming increasingly complex and globalized, they have also become heavily reliant on packaging materials. Most conventional packaging is made from petroleum‐derived plastics which pose significant environmental challenges post use. Therefore, there is an urgent need for high‐performance biobased packaging materials that do not accumulate in the environment. This work investigates the technical feasibility and pilot‐scale processability of a novel packaging solution based on fibrillated cellulose, poly (butylene succinate‐co‐adipate) (PBSA) and paper. A barrier stack consisting of a PBSA‐fibrillated cellulose‐PBSA architecture was developed, which exhibited water vapour transmission rates of < 33 g/(m 2 ·day), excellent oxygen transmission rates of < 5 cm 3 /(m 2 ·day) at 23°C and 50% RH, and good grease barrier (KIT 12). This multilayer structure was used in two formats, (I) as a multilayer film and (II) coated upon a paper substrate. Herein, we report a comprehensive characterization of the produced multilayer structures in terms of physical, mechanical and barrier properties, complemented with soil biodegradation and disintegration studies. Pilot‐scale roll‐to‐roll cast film extrusion, extrusion coating and dispersion coating techniques were used to produce the multilayer structures. The developed structures were readily heat sealable and were converted into demo packages for biscuits and chocolates. The packed foods successfully underwent shelf‐life testing (sensory quality evaluation) of over 9 months. The results presented in this work demonstrate that novel packaging materials built using biobased and biodegradable materials can be produced in pilot‐scale and converted into a functional barrier packaging.