Publication
Title
Cellulose nanofibre films as a substitute for plastic packaging : a comparative environmental life cycle assessment
Author
Abstract
Accumulation of synthetic food packaging in the natural environment has increased considerably in last few decades, posing serious concerns to human and aquatic life. Hence, substituting synthetic packaging with biobased packaging is one viable option. Cellulose nanofibres can easily be transformed into films, which could be a suitable alternative for petroleum-derived packaging. However, production of these films consumes a significant amount of energy as compared with the synthetic packaging. The main contributors for this high energy consumption are associated with the treatment of pulp, production of fibres and drying of films. This study analyzes the environmental impacts (in terms of energy and water) of spray deposited cellulose nanofibre films and its key drivers through an attributional cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment. Different scenarios were formulated and studied in terms of waste feedstock choice, solid content, forming composite of cellulose nanofibres, and location (Australia, China, Germany, Great Britain and United States of America). The results indicate that the environmental impacts of spray deposited cellulose nanofibre films based on a baseline scenario for a large-scale production were still higher as compared with petroleum-based synthetic packaging. However, establishing a recommended scenario from the studied scenarios could lower the environmental impacts significantly (two to five times) in comparison to synthetic food packaging. This life cycle assessment model has the potential to support the reduction of the environmental impact of the studied green chemistry option and to accelerate the transition towards more sustainable packaging.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Food and bioproducts processing. - Rugby
Publication
Rugby : 2024
ISSN
0960-3085
DOI
10.1016/J.FBP.2024.03.005
Volume/pages
145 (2024) , p. 175-186
ISI
001223149800001
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
The author-created version that incorporates referee comments and is the accepted for publication version Available from 05.09.2024
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
GOPRESUSE – Towards generic optimizations and prospective evaluations for the design of sustainable disruptive process technologies and resource management systems by connecting statistical entropy, economic and environmental aspects.
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 04.04.2024
Last edited 06.07.2024
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