search.noResults

search.searching

saml.title
dataCollection.invalidEmail
note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
MATERIALS | BIOPLASTICS


PLA ‘cooling’ film cuts need for aircon


Scientists in China and Australia have developed a PLA ‘cooling’ film that could cut building energy use by 20% by reducing the need for air conditioning. The bioplastic ‘metafilm’ – whose crystal structure has been modified – is used as a durable radiative cooler that reflects sunlight. When applied to buildings, it passively cools tempera- tures by as much as 9.2°C during peak sunlight and reflects almost 99% of the sun’s rays, say the researchers. It was developed by researchers


from Zhengzhou University in China and the University of South Australia (UniSA) and is described in Cell Reports Physical Science. “Our metafilm offers an environ-


mentally friendly alternative to air-conditioning, which contributes significantly to carbon emissions,” says UniSA PhD candidate Yangzhe Hou, who is also from Zhengzhou University. “It reflects nearly all solar radiation but also allows internal building heat to escape directly into outer space. This enables the building to stay cooler than the surrounding air, even under direct sunlight.” The film will perform even after


exposure to acidic conditions and ultraviolet light – which typically hinder similar biodegradable materi- als, he added. The film is made using a low-tem-


perature separation technique that reflects 98.7% of sunlight and


PLA copolymers, functional coatings, additives and catalysts. “Greco aligns with the Packaging and Packaging


Waste Regulation (PPWR) by developing bio- based, biodegradable, and recyclable PLA copoly- mers for food packaging,” said Dimitrios Bikiaris of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece, who is the project coordinator. The project aims to use modelling tools – and an


iterative approach – to develop PLA copolymers with better biodegradability, performance, produc- tion rates, yield and quality. It will assess various end-of-life scenarios, including testing the recycla- bility of the bio-based polymers and materials using mechanical and chemical recycling (in both open- and closed-loop systems). The biodegrada- bility of the developed materials will be tested in marine, water, and soil environments. The materials will also be tested for industrial composting conditions and home composting. Aimplas of Spain will use reactive extrusion (Rex) to develop tailor-made PLA-based copolymers for food packaging. “Developing PLA copolymers by reactive


extrusion – and producing additives by mechano- chemistry – is groundbreaking,” said Belen Monje Martinez, a researcher at Aimplas. “This will help us achieve more sustainable, bio-based, recyclable and biodegradable PLA compounds and coatings.” Greco has received €7.6 million funding from


the European Union’s Horizon Europe research programme.


20 FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | July/August 2025


minimises heat gain. In tests, the film showed an average


temperature drop of 4.9°C during the day and 5.1°C at night. Field tests carried out in China and Australia confirmed its stability and efficiency under harsh environmental conditions: after 120 hours in strong acid – and the equivalent of eight months’ outdoor UV exposure – it retained a cooling power of up to 6.5°C. The researchers are now looking


into large-scale manufacturing oppor- tunities and potential applications in buildings, transport, agriculture, electronics and the biomedical field – including cooling wound dressings. � https://english.zzu.edu.cnwww.unisa.edu.au


Aimplas is also involved in COM4PHA, a project


that aims to develop new biodegradable bioplas- tics for cosmetics, food and agricultural packaging. It is led by biotechnology company Venviro-


tech, which uses bacteria to transform organic waste into PHA. Spanish packaging producer Enplast is another partner. The partners says that most commercial PHAs


have processing limitations, so one objective of the project is to optimise them for various applications – as well as to scale up their production and supply. COM4PHA will develop new formulations based


on PHAs. It is working on formulations based on the PHBV copolymer for applications in packaging and agriculture. These technologies include using the copolymer as a coating on agricultural mulch films, adding barrier and antimicrobial properties to maintain crop quality based on the barrier and antimicrobial properties of the coating. The overall objective is to optimise the synthesis


of the material and eventually offer PHBV at an industrial level – so it can be used in applications currently occupied by conventional plastics.


Biotech boost


Biotechnology is playing a more decisive role in the development of bioplastics, according to IDTechEx. This is because monomers such as lactic acid and succinic acid are increasingly being made by fermentation-based processes. Fermentation is still the dominant route for lactic


www.filmandsheet.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46