DESC0024051

PFAS coatings have been widely used for producing consumable food-related packaging paper and tableware because of their good water and oil resistance. However, the potential risks associated with PFAS leaking during packaging usage and recycling threaten food safety and human health. The Creekside Environmental Products-Mississippi State University (MSU) Team proposes the development of PFAS-free biodegradable hydrophobic food packaging paper and tableware through our recently developed (a provisional patent submitted) Metal-cation-induced Surface Nano-Engineering (MX+-SNE) technology. The proposed project eliminates use of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in consumer food packaging products. We developed a novel MX+-SNE technology to manufacture PFAS-free water- and oil-resistant packaging paper and tableware. Specially, metal cations (MX+) such as Fe3+, Al3+, and Zr4+ coordinate with pulp fiber polar groups (i.e., -OH, C=O, and COOH) inducing self-assembly of their surface “hairy” cellulose nanofibrils into a more compact structure. The resulting material has a decrease availability of hydroxyl (OH) groups, resulting in decreased surface energy and a remarkable increase in hydrophobicity and water resistance. Meanwhile, the incorporation of bio-based nanofibers improves the oil resistance of hydrophobic paper and tableware. This eliminates the use of PFAS (as the water- and oil-resistant chemical) in food packaging materials. Phase I Tasks: (1) Evaluate the influences of pulp type and chemical composition on the effectiveness of the MX+-SNE process on the resulting paper’s wettability (lower is better); (2) Identify key factors (e.g., ion type, dose, etc.) responsible for lignocellulosic materials’ wettability transformation; and (3) Evaluate the effect of nanocellulose blending/coating on oil resistance. The global waterproof packaging market is anticipated to grow from US$671.1 billion in 2022 to US$ 950.9 billion by 2032, exhibiting a growth rate of 3.5% between 2022 and 2032. The biodegradable paper-based packaging market size is anticipated to reach a value of over US$ 5.5 billion by 2030. Our proposed project utilizes a cost-effective and safe chemical (i.e., metal cations such as Fe3+) to replace PFAS usage in paper-based packaging materials. This will not only eliminate the use of PFAS in consumer products but also decrease the accumulation of plastic packaging waste. Therefore, the proposed technology has huge potential for commercialization.