Ecological Materials and Application on Packaging (I)

There is no unified definition of ecological materials. Chinese scholars are defined as "substances that can be accepted by humans, adapted to the ecological environment, and can economically produce useful devices."

At present, all countries are competing to research and develop the application technology of ecological materials in packaging. The following describes the concept of ecological materials and their research and application on packaging: Ecological design of packaging and materials

The ecological design of packaging is actually LCA plus packaging design. It integrates the LCA theory and methods into the thinking of designers and fully considers the impact of packaging's entire life cycle process on resources, energy and ecological environment. According to different uses of packaging materials, they require different functions. For this reason, composites of several different materials are often used, and multiple material combinations undoubtedly cause difficulties in recycling. Therefore, it is required to consider the balance and unity of functional and environmental adaptability in the design. The ecological design of packaging materials should consider reducing the environmental load of the material life cycle, including the following requirements.

(1) Consider harmfulness. Consider the harmful effects of substances soluble in water, oil, and solvents; whether the used excipients contain poisonous or harmful metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, etc.; whether the material is recycled and treated with harmful substances, use non-chlorine materials as far as possible. .

(2) Save resources. Avoid over-stacking houses and over-packaging; consider recyclable packaging and materials for long life, increase the weight ratio of contents to packages, use low-density packaging materials, and use high-performance packaging materials.

(3) Save energy. Through LCA, try to choose materials with low total energy consumption in the material life cycle.

(4) The functionality of the material. The design must meet the physicochemical nature of the contents and have an effective protection function. The loss of functionality caused by the loss of functionality of the contents is undoubtedly the largest consumption of packaging and content resources and energy. It is also necessary to ensure the strength of the packaging material and the sealability of the packaging to prevent the phenomenon of “running, leaking, and floating” in the packaging process, transportation process, storage process, and use process, and cause environmental pollution.

(5) Recycling of packaging material waste. Through LCA, as far as possible, materials that are currently matured in recycling technology are used, volume reduction design is adopted, transparent glass is used, biodegradable, compostable plastics are used, and after use, packages that can be reused after simple treatment (such as washing) are adopted. For materials that do not have secondary pollution and residue, use recycled or scrap as packaging materials, and try to choose a single material.

The Life Cycle Assessment of Packaging Materials The LCA began with the analysis of the energy consumption of beverage containers throughout the life cycle. Today, it has been used as an important tool for evaluating the environmental load of packaging materials. The main functions of the packaging material LCA are: the basis for the packaging material system to improve its environmental load, the basis for reducing the environmental load in the eco-design, the basis for obtaining the environmental label of the packaging material, and the ability to improve the competition in the domestic and foreign markets.

(1) Beverage bottles (cans) Energy LCA comparison The energy consumption per litre of beverage is measured. Aluminum cans are the containers that consume the most energy. Paper containers have low energy consumption, but they are not heat-resistant and pressure-resistant. They cannot be heated and sterilized. Beverage can be sterilized with hydrogen peroxide, aseptically. The total energy consumption of glass bottles and polyester bottles is similar. From the analysis of the energy structure at each stage of the life cycle, major consumptions of aluminum, iron, and polyester are material energy consumption (89%, 74%, 58%), and the main energy consumption of glass bottles is transportation (33%) and other energy consumption (bottles Covers, labels, etc. (27%).

(2) Packaging Materials LCA Functionality Research Packaging materials not only require a consumer-friendly design, promote sales, but also require economical and practical use. Such as carrying convenience, maintaining the quality of internal products, long-term storage, can communicate information to consumers and other functions.

(3) LCA Research on Paper and Plastic Food Tableware Due to the limitation of “white pollution” caused by foam plastic tableware, “paper-based plastic” has been adopted at home and abroad. Paper is composed of plant fibers, non-toxic, odorless, and does not contaminate food. It can be degraded in a short time after being discarded. Contrast with its advantages and disadvantages, LCA research continues and controversy continues. The consumption of raw materials for foam plastic tableware is only 1/5 of paper tableware, and the remaining 4/5 are air, and the price is cheap. Paper cutlery consumes a lot of wood, and its energy consumption and environmental load are higher than those of foam plastic tableware. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a hygienic, water-resistant, oil-resistant, temperature-resistant and inexpensive alternative that does not cause new environmental pollution through comparison with LCA.