Natural raw materials for specific barrier applications in paper and board (NATUBAR)

For numerous applications, paper and cardboard have to be coated with special materials in order to prevent migration of substances into the paper. Currently the most effective protective coatings are of synthetic origin which have detrimental effects on recycling and on enviromental evaluation. Therefore there is significant interest in replacing these materials with natural, renewable products.

Synthetic barrier materials present a number of drawbacks when recyclability and environmental impact are considered. There is therefore a strong interest to replace those barrier materials by natural, renewable products. In the first approach, extruded starch based films can be prepared and applied onto paper, much in the same way as polyethylene films. In the second approach, starch derivatives will be converted in such a manner as to facilitate their application in water-based coating dispersions. Replacing polyolefins based on petrochemistry by renewable starch based materials will reduce crude oil consumption. The raw material for the replacement will be provided by local agriculture, giving small and medium-sized companies additional business opportunities.

The research project NATUBAR (0330854A) is being funded under the umbrella ERA-NET Susprise (including German Federal Ministry of Education and Research BMBF and further national European Ministries) and coordinated by company Millvision B.V., The Netherlands in cooperation with European research institutes (PTS, Germany and Holzforschung Austra,Austria) and three further industrial partners (Glycanex B.V., The Netherlands, Felix Schoeller Service GmbH & Co. KG,Germany and Mayr Melnhof Karton GmbH, Austria).