ITENE mobilises for K2019 plastics show in Germany

But as well as the development of new plastics materials, the optimisation of packaging systems and innovation in materials recycling, the research centre was keen to showcase its expertise in preservation and quality-control systems for packaged products.
 
Materials innovation highlighted at the show included polylactide (PLA) reinforced with clays to improve barrier properties by up to 40% and a fully-compostable multilayer packaging solution.
 
ITENE presented what it calls its “technological breakthrough” in using markers to differentiate multilayer packaging from general waste at the sorting stage.
 
Sustainability manager at ITENE César Aliaga delivered a presentation on the EU’s Horizon 2020 PlastiCircle project, as part of the ‘Plastics shape the future’ event held as part of the K show.
 
On the quality-control side, visitors saw freshness-indicator labels for packaged chicken and (also for poultry) antimicrobials integrated into packaging materials to prevent contamination by the Campylobacter bacteria. There was also an active flexible film designed to protect pasta from humidity and insects.
 
In the meantime, ITENE has been working with local company TETma to develop a new model for managing biodegradable polylactide (PLA) packaging waste, from detection and classification through to end-of-life and ‘valorisation’. This forms part of the DeepPLA project, financed by the Valencia Innovation Agency (AVI).