Feasibility of Valorization of Post-Consumer Recycled Flexible Polypropylene by Adding Fumed Nanosilica for Its Potential Use in Food Packaging toward Sustainability
The food industry has a current challenge of increasing the recycling of post-consumer plastics to reduce plastic waste towards a circular economy, especially flexible polypropylene, which is highly demanded in food packaging. However, recycling post-consumer plastics is limited because service life...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Polymers |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/15/5/1081 |
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| author | Eliezer Velásquez Carol López de Dicastillo Cristian Patiño Vidal Guillermo Copello Cristopher Reyes Abel Guarda María José Galotto |
| author_facet | Eliezer Velásquez Carol López de Dicastillo Cristian Patiño Vidal Guillermo Copello Cristopher Reyes Abel Guarda María José Galotto |
| author_sort | Eliezer Velásquez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The food industry has a current challenge of increasing the recycling of post-consumer plastics to reduce plastic waste towards a circular economy, especially flexible polypropylene, which is highly demanded in food packaging. However, recycling post-consumer plastics is limited because service life and reprocessing degrade their physical-mechanical properties and modify the migration of components from the recycled material to the food. This research evaluated the feasibility of valorization of post-consumer recycled flexible polypropylene (PCPP) by incorporating fumed nanosilica (NS). For this purpose, the effect of concentration and type (hydrophilic and hydrophobic) of NS on the morphological, mechanical, sealing, barrier and overall migration properties of PCPP films was studied. Incorporating NS improved Young’s modulus and, more significantly, tensile strength at 0.5 wt% and 1 wt%, where a better particle dispersion was confirmed by EDS-SEM, but it diminished elongation at breakage of the films. Interestingly, NS tended to increase the seal strength of PCPP nanocomposite films more significantly at higher NS content, showing a seal failure of the adhesive peel type which is preferred for flexible packaging. NS at 1 wt% did not affect the water vapor and oxygen permeabilities of the films. Overall migration of PCPP and nanocomposites exceeded the limit value of 10 mg dm<sup>−2</sup> allowed by European legislation at the studied concentrations of 1% and 4 wt%. Nonetheless, NS reduced the overall migration of PCPP from 17.3 to 15 mg dm<sup>−2</sup> in all nanocomposites. In conclusion, PCPP with 1 wt% of hydrophobic NS presented an improved overall performance of the studied packaging properties. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:13:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2439cc7e92794d5b8112e51b991caea0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4360 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:13:20Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Polymers |
| spelling | doaj.art-2439cc7e92794d5b8112e51b991caea02023-11-17T08:25:51ZengMDPI AGPolymers2073-43602023-02-01155108110.3390/polym15051081Feasibility of Valorization of Post-Consumer Recycled Flexible Polypropylene by Adding Fumed Nanosilica for Its Potential Use in Food Packaging toward SustainabilityEliezer Velásquez0Carol López de Dicastillo1Cristian Patiño Vidal2Guillermo Copello3Cristopher Reyes4Abel Guarda5María José Galotto6Packaging Innovation Center (LABEN-Chile), University of Santiago of Chile (USACH), Santiago 9170201, ChilePackaging Laboratory, Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC), 46980 Paterna, SpainPackaging Innovation Center (LABEN-Chile), University of Santiago of Chile (USACH), Santiago 9170201, ChileUniversidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Departamento de Ciencias Químicas, Junín 956, Buenos Aires C1113AAD, ArgentinaPackaging Innovation Center (LABEN-Chile), University of Santiago of Chile (USACH), Santiago 9170201, ChilePackaging Innovation Center (LABEN-Chile), University of Santiago of Chile (USACH), Santiago 9170201, ChilePackaging Innovation Center (LABEN-Chile), University of Santiago of Chile (USACH), Santiago 9170201, ChileThe food industry has a current challenge of increasing the recycling of post-consumer plastics to reduce plastic waste towards a circular economy, especially flexible polypropylene, which is highly demanded in food packaging. However, recycling post-consumer plastics is limited because service life and reprocessing degrade their physical-mechanical properties and modify the migration of components from the recycled material to the food. This research evaluated the feasibility of valorization of post-consumer recycled flexible polypropylene (PCPP) by incorporating fumed nanosilica (NS). For this purpose, the effect of concentration and type (hydrophilic and hydrophobic) of NS on the morphological, mechanical, sealing, barrier and overall migration properties of PCPP films was studied. Incorporating NS improved Young’s modulus and, more significantly, tensile strength at 0.5 wt% and 1 wt%, where a better particle dispersion was confirmed by EDS-SEM, but it diminished elongation at breakage of the films. Interestingly, NS tended to increase the seal strength of PCPP nanocomposite films more significantly at higher NS content, showing a seal failure of the adhesive peel type which is preferred for flexible packaging. NS at 1 wt% did not affect the water vapor and oxygen permeabilities of the films. Overall migration of PCPP and nanocomposites exceeded the limit value of 10 mg dm<sup>−2</sup> allowed by European legislation at the studied concentrations of 1% and 4 wt%. Nonetheless, NS reduced the overall migration of PCPP from 17.3 to 15 mg dm<sup>−2</sup> in all nanocomposites. In conclusion, PCPP with 1 wt% of hydrophobic NS presented an improved overall performance of the studied packaging properties.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/15/5/1081post-consumer polypropylenefumed silicafood packagingrecycling |
| spellingShingle | Eliezer Velásquez Carol López de Dicastillo Cristian Patiño Vidal Guillermo Copello Cristopher Reyes Abel Guarda María José Galotto Feasibility of Valorization of Post-Consumer Recycled Flexible Polypropylene by Adding Fumed Nanosilica for Its Potential Use in Food Packaging toward Sustainability Polymers post-consumer polypropylene fumed silica food packaging recycling |
| title | Feasibility of Valorization of Post-Consumer Recycled Flexible Polypropylene by Adding Fumed Nanosilica for Its Potential Use in Food Packaging toward Sustainability |
| title_full | Feasibility of Valorization of Post-Consumer Recycled Flexible Polypropylene by Adding Fumed Nanosilica for Its Potential Use in Food Packaging toward Sustainability |
| title_fullStr | Feasibility of Valorization of Post-Consumer Recycled Flexible Polypropylene by Adding Fumed Nanosilica for Its Potential Use in Food Packaging toward Sustainability |
| title_full_unstemmed | Feasibility of Valorization of Post-Consumer Recycled Flexible Polypropylene by Adding Fumed Nanosilica for Its Potential Use in Food Packaging toward Sustainability |
| title_short | Feasibility of Valorization of Post-Consumer Recycled Flexible Polypropylene by Adding Fumed Nanosilica for Its Potential Use in Food Packaging toward Sustainability |
| title_sort | feasibility of valorization of post consumer recycled flexible polypropylene by adding fumed nanosilica for its potential use in food packaging toward sustainability |
| topic | post-consumer polypropylene fumed silica food packaging recycling |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/15/5/1081 |
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