Summary
- Profile Type
- Technology offer
- POD Reference
- TOIT20240327021
- Term of Validity
- 27 March 2024 - 27 March 2025
- Company's Country
- Italy
- Type of partnership
- Commercial agreement with technical assistanceResearch and development cooperation agreementInvestment agreement
- Targeted Countries
- All countries
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General information
- Short Summary
- An Italian University spin-off has developed and patented a method for the production of new 100% biodegradable material, having thermoplastic properties. It is composed only of natural polymers, extracted from milk scraps, using an eco-sustainable synthesis. The company is looking for industrial partners interested in collaborating in EU projects, testing, and eventually producing and commercializing this kind of material under license agreement with technical assistance.
- Full Description
-
An Italian University spin-off located in Rome has developed and patented a green material with thermoplastic properties, produced with milk leftovers.
Experiments performed on industrial machines, demonstrated that this kind of material can be moulded by compression moulding techniques and can be extruded. A small pilot plant has been realized to produce many kg of material for the testing on industrial scale.
This material has characteristics of high hardness and thermal stability in a wide range of temperatures, characteristics often lacking in the bioplastics currently on the market. It is compostable in just two months and dissolves in bacteriologically impure water. The produced plastic does not contain artificial plasticizers and the use of organic solvents in the reaction has also been carefully avoided.
This method allows the production of new 100% biodegradable and compostable bioplastic materials, based on natural polymers, made from milk scraps using an eco-sustainable synthesis.
The company is looking for academies and industrial partners interested in collaborating in EU projects, in testing and eventually producing and commercializing this kind of material. The company will license the right of use of the patent and it will provide technical assistance to companies for the industrialization of milk bioplastic-made objects. - Advantages and Innovations
-
This innovative material is the only bioplastic material 100% based on natural polymers not chemically modified and permitted by the EU directive 2019/904. It has the same sustainable characteristics of paper, but with thermoplastic properties.
The main advantages of this material are:
• Being composed of natural polymers not chemically modified, it is permitted by the Single Use Plastic Directive (EU directive 2019/904)
• It has thermoplastic properties, so it can be moulded with the same machines used for the plastic production
• It is compostable also at home composter
• If accidentally release in the environment, it is going to degrade in the soil and in the water marine in three months
• If eaten by sea animals it is not dangerous or toxic
• It is recyclable
• It is obtained from waste material: the idea is to create the most sustainable synthesis possible by exploiting the part of the non-edible milk, but also the expired one, to transform a waste into a resource in a circular economy perspective
• Compared to other bioplastics obtained from raw materials such as corn and potatoes, milk is not a seasonal product and it is not blended with fossil-based polymers
• It does not provide for the exploitation of arable land and reduces a cost item in the production process, that of waste disposal. The cost of the waste material is extremely low and this consequently makes it possible to have products with relatively low costs - Stage of Development
- Available for demonstration
- Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Partner Sought
- Expected Role of a Partner
-
Partners sought are plastic manufacturing companies, interested in testing this material, as a sustainable alternative to plastic.
They also look for this material producing companies, interested in valorising their leftovers, in order to produce, on demand, some packaging material for their internal production.
They look for investors, interested in building a pilot plant. - Type and Size of Partner
- SME 11-49SME 50 - 249SME <=10
- Type of partnership
- Commercial agreement with technical assistanceResearch and development cooperation agreementInvestment agreement
Call details
- Coordinator required
-
Yes
Dissemination
- Technology keywords
- 06006002 - Bioplastics06006004 - Biopolymers02002013 - Moulding, injection moulding, sintering02002014 - Extrusion02003006 - Prototypes, trials and pilot schemes
- Market keywords
- 08001005 - Other fabricated plastics08001018 - Polymer (plastics) materials08001004 - Fibre-reinforced (plastic) composites08001002 - Homogeneous injections/extrusions09004006 - Packing products and systems
- Targeted countries
- All countries