Posted: February 26, 2007 |
Nanotechnology project aims to reduce packaging waste |
(Nanowerk News) Danone, the French food and beverage giant, is taking part in a research project into nanotechnology that could result in stronger plastic packing that also reduces waste.
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The project, based at Queen's University, Belfast, and funded with a £2.5m government grant, aims to reduce raw material usage and improving polymer performance.
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Researchers hope to achieve this by harnessing nanotechnology - the technique of controlling and manipulating matter at near atomic scales to create new materials and devices.
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The interest of an international food giant like Danone reinforces claims that nanotechnology will be the next revolution in many industries, including food manufacturing and packaging.
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The funding for the Queen's project is being used for two new research investigations being carried out on polymer nanocomposites. Polymers consist of tiny molecules strung in long repeating chains.
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Nanocomposite materials offer a dramatic improvement in material performance, with significant increases in mechanical and gas barrier properties, according to the Queen's team.
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"The use of nanocomposites can result in the client getting a more effective product. Improved performance also allows products to be manufactured with less material leading to reductions in raw material, processing energy and product transportation costs."
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The research will focus on the processing route by which the nanoparticle-polymer mixture is formed into a final product.
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It will then aim to apply the knowledge gained to the development of proof of concept applications for industry.
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Researcher Eileen Harkin-Jones and her team will also be using complex computer-aided numerical modelling to predict the behaviour of materials under conditions that might otherwise be to difficult or costly to replicate.
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This method should allow manufacturers to exploit such materials to the full, the University stated.
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"The polymers industry currently contributes over £18bn per annum to the UK economy and the arrival of nanocomposites in recent years has opened up a whole new window for product development," Harkin-Jones said.
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The groups involved in the research include: The School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Queen's, the University of Oxford, the University of Bradford, Danone, Smith and Nephew, Innovia Films, JGP Perrite and Boran-Mopack.
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