Moisture Barrier Coatings for PVOH Soluble Products to Reduce Packaging and Extend Product Life

"Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVOH) is a water soluble non toxic biodegradable polymer which conforms to European composting and biodegradability standards. In its film and injection moulded format it is mainly used for detergent and agrichemical dosing, where the polymer dissolves in water to release the active components.

Being hygroscopic it is susceptible to atmospheric moisture uptake in conditions over 50% relative humidity. Therefore, expensive protective packaging is required to maintain its physical properties, this is important to maintain child safety regulations when caustic detergents are encapsulated.

Due to the hygroscopic nature of PVOH, at present it is not suitable to replace traditional polymers. If a solution could be found to delay moisture uptake then new opportunities would arise for this polymer.

The addition of a temporary/ semi permanent hydrophobic barrier to PVOH products is highly innovative and would permit the reduction of protective packaging, ease of recycling of complex multilayer containers/ films, and open up new markets for PVOH to replace traditional polymers.

New markets would include single use products (medical) where products are in contact with water during use and when recycling is impracticable or unsafe to do so (Contamination of bodily fluids).

In addition to laundry applications there are also opportunities in other unit dose cleaning applications including machine dish wash, automotive, jet wash and other specialist home cleaning applications accessible either through existing brand owners or bespoke new entrants

Polymer products entering water courses has been recently highlighted by Sir David Attenborough ( Blue Planet and A Plastic Ocean). PVOH is quickly biodegraded in the natural environment and will not form microbeads or plastic residue to cause hazards to wildlife."