CORAL:Compostable Foams from Renewable Algae Sources: development and identification of strategies for their implementation

珊瑚：可再生藻类来源的可堆肥泡沫：制定和确定其实施策略

• 批准号: EP/Y027701/1
• 负责人: Lorna Anguilano
• 金额: $ 23.84万
• 依托单位: Brunel University London
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Fellowship
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2024 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FY027701%2F1
• 关键词: CORAL; Compostable; Foams; Renewable; Algae

A system that reduces the impact of plastic packaging waste by keeping materials in the economy is urgently needed. Around 47 Mt of plastic packaging waste leaked from collection systems and polluted our environment in 2019. This figure is continuously increasing worldwide due to the booming of new lifestyles, such as express delivery services. Therefore, coordinated action between the entire plastics value chain is required to redesign the plastic systems, from capital investment for research in bioplastics development to international cohesion in waste management standardisation or implementation of measures to increase consumer awareness. CORAL aims to develop a family of upscalable algae-based and compostable foams as a sustainable alternative for packaging foams for delivery (e.g., expanded polystyrene, polyethylene and polyurethane) and to investigate their applicability and acceptability within the waste management system to identify strategies for their successful implementation. CORAL uses algae-based feedstocks as an alternative to other biobased material sources that compete with food production to manufacture foams by combining mechanical foaming and sol-gel transition of the biopolymer blend. In addition, this project uses an eco-design approach for formulation and processing development, considering the environmental impact of the foams by integrating Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) during the development stage and compliance with home-composting certification schemes. CORAL acknowledges that sustainable materials research is only a small niche for a circular economy. Thus, the project explores the attitudes toward CORAL's foams, along with bioplastics in general, from a broad stakeholders' perspective to understand the challenges associated with their implementation and end-of-life to influence the development of coherent policy and effective waste management systems

迫切需要一种通过将材料保留在经济中来减少塑料包装废物影响的系统。 2019 年，约 47 公吨塑料包装废物从收集系统泄漏，污染了我们的环境。由于快递服务等新生活方式的蓬勃发展，这一数字在全球范围内不断增加。因此，整个塑料价值链之间需要采取协调行动来重新设计塑料系统，从生物塑料开发研究的资本投资到废物管理标准化的国际凝聚力或实施提高消费者意识的措施。 CORAL 旨在开发一系列可升级的基于藻类和可堆肥的泡沫，作为运输包装泡沫（例如发泡聚苯乙烯、聚乙烯和聚氨酯）的可持续替代品，并研究它们在废物管理系统中的适用性和可接受性，以确定其策略成功实施。 CORAL 使用藻类原料作为其他生物基材料来源的替代品，通过结合机械发泡和生物聚合物混合物的溶胶-凝胶转变来制造泡沫，与食品生产竞争。此外，该项目采用生态设计方法进行配方和加工开发，通过在开发阶段整合生命周期分析（LCA）并遵守家庭堆肥认证计划来考虑泡沫对环境的影响。 CORAL 承认可持续材料研究只是循环经济的一小部分。因此，该项目从广泛的利益相关者的角度探讨了人们对 CORAL 泡沫以及一般生物塑料的态度，以了解与其实施和报废相关的挑战，从而影响连贯政策和有效废物管理系统的制定