Advanced food packaging for a sustainable future
Lead Research Organisation:
Swansea University
Department Name: College of Engineering
Abstract
Overview
The development of new and advanced solutions for improved packaging of fresh food is fundamental to tackle important issues including the likes of improved recyclability, food safety, shelf lifetime, reduction of spoilage, and improved customer experience. Modern, low environmental impact packaging plays a key role in the development of a long-term, sustainable, and environmentally friendly supply chain. The research engineer will work in collaboration with Klöckner Pentaplast (KP), a company at the forefront of plastic packaging solutions and committed to promoting responsible innovations by championing a circular economy approach where plastics are a source of valuable raw material.
For the fresh food packaging sector, core product groups include:
1) Thermoformed trays. These are manufactured by thermoforming extruded rigid sheet (Polypropylene and PET), foam (expanded polystyrene) and the thermoforming of these sheets into food packaging.
2) Associated Extruded films.
Project Aims
The development of fresh food packaging for a fully circular economy requires new technologies to provide environmentally friendly solutions while reducing waste by enhancing food safety, shelf life, and product desirability of any fresh product.
The project aims to develop new solutions addressing important elements of this research question:
1) Sealing and barrier properties for mono-material thermoplastic packaging: Sealing between film lid and tray is critical for safety and shelf-life of the product. Moving towards a circular approach for resources, conventional approaches are questioned, with films and trays traditionally made of different materials which then cause challenges associated with recyclability. The project will focus to develop new solutions for complete package recycling at end of life, compatible with modern and future environmental needs.
2) Antifogging: In transparent food packaging, fogging inside the packaging is an important source of waste product, affecting the visibility and essentially reducing product desirability for the consumer. Through exploration of the phenomenon, the project aims to provide and test scalable viable solutions to this issue.
The development of new and advanced solutions for improved packaging of fresh food is fundamental to tackle important issues including the likes of improved recyclability, food safety, shelf lifetime, reduction of spoilage, and improved customer experience. Modern, low environmental impact packaging plays a key role in the development of a long-term, sustainable, and environmentally friendly supply chain. The research engineer will work in collaboration with Klöckner Pentaplast (KP), a company at the forefront of plastic packaging solutions and committed to promoting responsible innovations by championing a circular economy approach where plastics are a source of valuable raw material.
For the fresh food packaging sector, core product groups include:
1) Thermoformed trays. These are manufactured by thermoforming extruded rigid sheet (Polypropylene and PET), foam (expanded polystyrene) and the thermoforming of these sheets into food packaging.
2) Associated Extruded films.
Project Aims
The development of fresh food packaging for a fully circular economy requires new technologies to provide environmentally friendly solutions while reducing waste by enhancing food safety, shelf life, and product desirability of any fresh product.
The project aims to develop new solutions addressing important elements of this research question:
1) Sealing and barrier properties for mono-material thermoplastic packaging: Sealing between film lid and tray is critical for safety and shelf-life of the product. Moving towards a circular approach for resources, conventional approaches are questioned, with films and trays traditionally made of different materials which then cause challenges associated with recyclability. The project will focus to develop new solutions for complete package recycling at end of life, compatible with modern and future environmental needs.
2) Antifogging: In transparent food packaging, fogging inside the packaging is an important source of waste product, affecting the visibility and essentially reducing product desirability for the consumer. Through exploration of the phenomenon, the project aims to provide and test scalable viable solutions to this issue.
Planned Impact
The CDT will produce 50 graduates with doctoral level knowledge and research skills focussed on the development and manufacture of functional industrial coatings. Key impact areas are:
Knowledge
- The development of new products and processes to address real scientific challenges existing in industry and to transfer this knowledge into partnering companies. The CDT will enable rapid knowledge transfer between academia and industry due to the co-created projects and co-supervision.
- The creation of knowledge sharing network for partner companies created by the environment of the CDT.
- On average 2-3 publications per RE. Publications in high impact factor journals. The scientific scope of the CDT comprises a mixture of interdisciplinary areas and as such a breadth of knowledge can be generated through the CDT. Examples would include Photovoltaic coatings - Journal of Materials Chemistry A (IF 8.867) and Anti-corrosion Coatings - Corrosion Science (IF 5.245), Progress in Organic Coatings (IF 2.903)
- REs will disseminate knowledge at leading conferences e.g. Materials Research Society (MRS), Meetings of the Electrochemical Society, and through trade associations and Institutes representing the coatings sector.
- A bespoke training package on the formulation, function, use, degradation and end of life that will embed the latest research and will be available to industry partners for employees to attend as CPD and for other PGRs demonstrating added value from the CDT environment.
Wealth Creation
- Value added products and processes created through the CDT will generate benefits for Industrial partners and supply chains helping to build a productive nation.
- Employment of graduates into industry will transfer their knowledge and skills into businesses enabling innovation within these companies.
- Swansea University will support potential spin out companies where appropriate through its dedicated EU funded commercialisation project, Agor IP.
Environment and society
- Functionalised surfaces can potentially improve human health through anti-microbial surfaces for health care infrastructure and treatment of water using photocatalytic coatings.
- Functionalised energy generation coatings will contribute towards national strategies regarding clean and secure energy.
- Responsible research and innovation is an overarching theme of the CDT with materials sustainability, ethics, energy and end of life considered throughout the development of new coatings and processes. Thus, REs will be trained to approach all future problems with this mind set.
- Outreach is a critical element of the training programme (for example, a module delivered by the Ri on public engagement) and our REs will have skills that enable the dissemination of their knowledge to wide audiences thus generating interest in science and engineering and the benefits that investments can bring.
People
- Highly employable doctoral gradates with a holistic knowledge of functional coatings manufacture who can make an immediate impact in industry or academia.
- The REs will have transferable skills that are pertinent across multiple sectors.
- The CDT will develop ethically aware engineers with sustainability embed throughout their training
- The promotion of equality, diversity and inclusivity within our cohorts through CDT and University wide initiatives.
- The development of alumni networks to grow new opportunities for our CDT and provide REs with mentors.
Knowledge
- The development of new products and processes to address real scientific challenges existing in industry and to transfer this knowledge into partnering companies. The CDT will enable rapid knowledge transfer between academia and industry due to the co-created projects and co-supervision.
- The creation of knowledge sharing network for partner companies created by the environment of the CDT.
- On average 2-3 publications per RE. Publications in high impact factor journals. The scientific scope of the CDT comprises a mixture of interdisciplinary areas and as such a breadth of knowledge can be generated through the CDT. Examples would include Photovoltaic coatings - Journal of Materials Chemistry A (IF 8.867) and Anti-corrosion Coatings - Corrosion Science (IF 5.245), Progress in Organic Coatings (IF 2.903)
- REs will disseminate knowledge at leading conferences e.g. Materials Research Society (MRS), Meetings of the Electrochemical Society, and through trade associations and Institutes representing the coatings sector.
- A bespoke training package on the formulation, function, use, degradation and end of life that will embed the latest research and will be available to industry partners for employees to attend as CPD and for other PGRs demonstrating added value from the CDT environment.
Wealth Creation
- Value added products and processes created through the CDT will generate benefits for Industrial partners and supply chains helping to build a productive nation.
- Employment of graduates into industry will transfer their knowledge and skills into businesses enabling innovation within these companies.
- Swansea University will support potential spin out companies where appropriate through its dedicated EU funded commercialisation project, Agor IP.
Environment and society
- Functionalised surfaces can potentially improve human health through anti-microbial surfaces for health care infrastructure and treatment of water using photocatalytic coatings.
- Functionalised energy generation coatings will contribute towards national strategies regarding clean and secure energy.
- Responsible research and innovation is an overarching theme of the CDT with materials sustainability, ethics, energy and end of life considered throughout the development of new coatings and processes. Thus, REs will be trained to approach all future problems with this mind set.
- Outreach is a critical element of the training programme (for example, a module delivered by the Ri on public engagement) and our REs will have skills that enable the dissemination of their knowledge to wide audiences thus generating interest in science and engineering and the benefits that investments can bring.
People
- Highly employable doctoral gradates with a holistic knowledge of functional coatings manufacture who can make an immediate impact in industry or academia.
- The REs will have transferable skills that are pertinent across multiple sectors.
- The CDT will develop ethically aware engineers with sustainability embed throughout their training
- The promotion of equality, diversity and inclusivity within our cohorts through CDT and University wide initiatives.
- The development of alumni networks to grow new opportunities for our CDT and provide REs with mentors.
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP/S02252X/1 | 01/10/2019 | 31/03/2028 | |||
| 2596459 | Studentship | EP/S02252X/1 | 01/10/2021 | 30/09/2025 | Rebecca Moody |