The international consortium of the project SATISPHACTION has held its first working meeting (kick-off meeting), with a key initiative to transform the sector of food packaging through the development of processes for obtaining high-performance biodegradable polymers from recycled packaging.
During the first official meeting of the SATISPHACTION consortium held in AINIAEach of the work areas was presented in detail, and the common objectives for all project partners were coordinated. The meeting laid the foundation for a solid collaboration that will allow for effective progress toward circular and economically viable solutions in the food packaging sector.
The environmental challenge
Conventional plastics represent one of the main environmental challenges today due to their dependence on fossil resources and the problems arising from the pollution of terrestrial and marine ecosystems. A substantial part of this environmental problem stems from current food packaging products, due to their widespread use, limited lifespan, and difficulty in recycling. In this context, the PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate) It emerges as a promising alternative to fossil-based polymers because it is a Biopolymer produced naturally by bacteria, suitable for food contact and completely biodegradableeven in the marine environment.
However, its market presence is hampered by the high cost and the final properties of the polymers obtained through current production methods. The difficulty of obtaining plastics for food packaging solely from PHA means that it ultimately has to be combined with additives or other bioplastics such as PLA, PBS, or PBAT, losing its biodegradability and limiting its subsequent recycling.
Objectives of the SATISPHACTION project
The project SATISPHACTION Its aim is to overcome these limitations by:
- The development of efficient recycling processes for PHA, both chemically and biologically (through living cells) to reduce its production cost and environmental impact throughout its entire life cycle.
- Obtaining PHA polymers with tailored properties, through the use of Artificial Intelligence to guide the design of molecular structures and the development of new chemical polymerization methods.
- Creating new formulations from recycled material with high PHA content, free from harmful additives and incorporating thermostable enzymes for a accelerated self-degradationThese formulations will also be tested to confirm their complete biodegradability and non-generation of microplastics in terrestrial and marine ecosystems.
- Validation of the viability of the above PHA formulations for food packaging by manufacturing prototypes of: Thermoformed trays; heat-sealable flexible envelopes and biodegradable adhesivesfor the labeling of fruits and vegetables.
SATISPHACTION aims to halve the production cost of PHA by pursuing a model of circular local economy for food packaging that reduces dependence on non-renewable sources and strengthens the competitiveness of European industry. The results will contribute to reducing carbon emissions, the generation of microplastics, and the elimination of chemicals of concern, such as endocrine disruptors, from the food chain.
The consortium
The project has a multidisciplinary team made up of research centers, universities, companies and key associations at the European level: AINIA, project coordinator, the Margarita Salas Biological Research Centre of CSIC, Nova University of Lisbon, King's College London, NAITEC, NaturePlast, Polykey Polymers SL, Normec OWS and the association Packaging Cluster.
