Joanna Kuzincow
COBRO – Packaging Research Institute, Poland
Title: By-products as a raw material sources – Polish wheat bran packaging Biotrem
Biography
Biography: Joanna Kuzincow
Abstract
Wheat bran – seed husks from the remnants of the endosperm, is a common by-product of the milling industry. What should be strongly emphasised, only 20% of wheat bran can be used as a food or for feeding livestock, but the remaining mass definitely requires disposal or recovery. Additionally, long-term storage of plant products is expensive as appropriate conditions and measures are required. Promising solution of both questions: lack of packaging materials raw sources as well as long-term plant storage is Polish bioplastic Biotrem – biodegradable and compostable wheat bran packaging material. It will allow the organic recycling of thousand tons of post-consumer waste and reduce the mass of plastic waste and will also significantly minimize use of petrochemical raw materials. Biotrem technology is in line with current trends of packaging, due to its bio-based nature. Wheat bran packaging is an example of sustainable packaging improving waste disposal by not causing further production of waste. On the production stage Biotrem means much lower carbon foootprint than conventional petroleum technologies. New, started in 2014 new project BIOTREM NOVUM involves modification of current wheat bran packaging and introduction of biodegradable polymers into their structure or coating its surface witch such polymers. Its objective is to enhance compostability with simultaneous improvement of product properties: processing speed and water resistance.