Summary
- Profile Type
- Technology offer
- POD Reference
- TOKR20241106001
- Term of Validity
- 6 November 2024 - 6 November 2025
- Company's Country
- South Korea
- Type of partnership
- Commercial agreement with technical assistance
- Investment agreement
- Targeted Countries
- Denmark
- Switzerland
- Germany
- France
- United Kingdom
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General information
- Short Summary
- A Korean startup has developed barrier coating technology using disk-shaped seaweed cellulose. Compared to wood-derived cellulose nanofibers, This technology provides high barrier performance at low manufacturing costs due to its shape and ease of material supply. The Korean startup is seeking commercial and investment partners
- Full Description
-
In recent years, bio-based materials have been widely developed for packaging materials and coatings due to growing eco-friendly concerns and stringent environmental regulations. Barrier coatings, which help moisture and oils inside of the packaging or keep moisture or oxygen out of the packaging, made of naturally renewable biopolymers are applied to packing materials, and have the potential to replace the current synthetic paper and paperboard coatings. The well-known bio-based material for coating is cellulose nanofiber from wood. However, this material is expensive because multiple coating processes are necessary to achieve the desired barrier performance.
A Korean startup has developed bio-based barrier coating technology using disk-shaped seaweed nanocellulose. This disk-shaped nanocellulose is made of the residue of Red Algae.
Compared to one-dimensional cellulose micro- or nanofibrils from wood, this two-dimensional disk-shaped cellulose fiber from seaweed shows fast drainage and low drying energy. Thus, using disk-shaped thin fibers provides high oxygen barrier property with low producing cost by optimization of multiple coating process.
According to comparative research with other barrier coating technologies, this seaweed cellulose fiber exhibited excellent oxygen permeability of 195 cc*㎛/㎡day, which is significantly lower than wood-derived cellulose nanofiber (over 400).
This Korean startup can demonstrate prototypes of seaweed barrier coating and is seeking partners to scale up production and commercialisation under commercial agreement with technical assistance and/or investment agreement. - Advantages and Innovations
-
(1) Unlike cellulose nanofibers derived from wood, the disk-shaped nanofiber minimizes the optimal number of coatings needed to achieve the desired barrier characteristics, thereby reducing the manufacturing costs. (at least 1/5 or 1/20 of land-based nanocellulose technologies)
(2) High barrier characteristics similar to EVOH (Ethylene vinyl alcohol), which is broadly used as an oxygen barrier in food packaging
(3) Red Algae, a seaweed used for manufacturing cellulose nanofiber, is widely cultivated in southeast Asia and Africa regions.
(4) Compared to other barrier technologies, this disk-shaped cellulose nanofiber shows excellent oxygen permeability of 195 cc*㎛/㎡day - Stage of Development
- Available for demonstration
- Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 13: Climate Action
- IPR status
- IPR applied but not yet granted
- IPR notes
- - PCT Patent Applications : The company has completed individual patent applications in countries such as Europe, the United States, Japan, and China.
Partner Sought
- Expected Role of a Partner
- Companies in the eco-friendly packaging industry are interested in jointly commercializing this technology to European market under commercial agreement with technical assistance and/or investment agreement.
- Type and Size of Partner
- Big company
- SME 50 - 249
- Type of partnership
- Commercial agreement with technical assistance
- Investment agreement
Dissemination
- Technology keywords
- 02002002 - Coatings
- 02007020 - Biobased materials
- 02007024 - Nanomaterials
- Market keywords
- 08001007 - Coatings and adhesives manufactures
- Sector Groups Involved
- Agri-Food
- Targeted countries
- Denmark
- Switzerland
- Germany
- France
- United Kingdom
