MATERIALS | BARRIER FILM
Right: Norner has installed a seven-layer extrusion pilot line from Collin Lab and Pilot Solutions
PVOH boost
Mitsubishi Chemical Group (MCG) is to establish a new facility at its Okayama plant to raise the production capacity of its Gohsenx and Nichigo G-Polymer – two speciality brands of polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH). The facility is scheduled to start operations in October 2024. Nichigo G-Polymer has the water-soluble and compostable characteristics of PVOH resin, while also providing high gas barrier properties and melt processability. Used in the gas barrier layer of food packaging materials, it prolongs the flavour and quality of foods, helping to reduce food waste. Because of this, it is increasingly used in Europe. By combining the product with the MCG compostable resin BioPBS and tie resins enables the design of all-compostable barrier packaging materials. Currently, these brands of PVOH are produced
at the Kumamoto plant. To build a stable supply – and due to ageing production facilities –MCG aims to double production capacity by establishing a new facility at the Okayama plant. Last year, the company announced a plan to
increase annual production capacity of its Soarnol EVOH resin by 21,000 tonnes/year in the United Kingdom. The increase will take effect in July 2025. This will be capacity more than double to 39,000 tonnes/year. Construction of the plant begins in April 2023.
When complete, the expansion will see MCG’s global Soarnol capacity rise from 69,000 to 90,000 tonnes/year across plants in Japan, the US and the UK.
Bio barrier In a project called MultiBioBarrier, Aimplas – with partners Gaviplas and Nurel – has developed a material that is 70% bio-based. At the same time, it is biodegradable and has a high oxygen and moisture barrier. This makes it useful for packaging products such as cheese. As well as being biode- gradable, the multi-layer film had to be easily recyclable by separating the layers. Nurel developed the polymers, which have superior barrier properties to its existing Inzea grades, it said. The films can be processed by blown film technology – and have been used to make three- and five-layer products. Three grades have been developed: Inzea F18C
is transparent and sealable; FBH 10 has an oxygen barrier and is water-soluble; and FBT has an oxygen and water barrier. Aimplas was tasked with developing multi-layer structures from the materials, while Gaviplas will
46 FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | March 2023
scale up and validate the production process. Multi-layer films – using all three grades in either
three- or five-layer structures – have been pro- duced and tested at pilot plant scale. The five-layer structure (which included tie-layers) was transpar- ent and recyclable, while the three-layer version was compostable.
Seven-layer line Norwegian research organisation Norner has installed a seven-layer cast/blown film extrusion pilot line – to make barrier flexible packaging with recycled content. The company says the line – supplied by Collin Lab and Pilot Solutions of Germany – is “the largest investment ever made by Norner”. It can produce both cast and blown films – as well as cast sheet – up to 550mm wide. This enables films to be laminated, printed and used in commercial packaging lines. This is important for further upscaling of innovative solutions into commercial production, says Norner. “With the new line, we can produce prototype films with even higher performance to support mono-material developments,” said Asbjørn Noraberg, manager of the application pilot centre at Norner.
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
www.wentus.de �
www.mcgc.com �
www.aimplas.es �
www.gaviplas.es �
www.nurelbiopolymers.com �
www.norner.no
www.filmandsheet.com
IMAGE: NORNER
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