Project Grant 20173361026644

This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Integrative Activities program (CFDA 47.083) provides $118,143 to the University of Alabama to develop sustainable, functional paper-based packaging materials as an alternative to plastic. The project aims to improve the barrier properties of cellulose-based packaging by impregnating it with bio-derived compounds extracted from agricultural waste, using supercritical carbon dioxide technology. Key activities involve studying...

This $450,000 National Science Foundation Project Grant supports research at Michigan State University to develop high-barrier biodegradable paper as alternatives to plastics and PFAS-coated materials. The two-year award under the Engineering (47.041) program will fund investigation of solvent-free biodegradable polyester latex coating methods and their impact on creating high-barrier biodegradable paper through a dual-layer approach. Researchers will evaluate end-of-life scenarios,...

This Project Grant award for $275,000 from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program supports the development and validation of a biodegradable biopolymer platform to replace conventional plastic and PFAS-based coatings for paper-based packaging. The awardee, Retrn Bioworks Inc., is utilizing a novel fermentation process to produce high-performance poly-4-hydroxybutyrate (P4HB) copolymers from lignocellulosic waste feedstocks. The...

This Project Grant award of $155,884 from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) aims to develop new types of eco-friendly coating materials to address environmental and health risks posed by common packaging materials such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), conventional plastics, and plastic-coated paper. The research team at Western Michigan University intends to create packaging alternatives made of waxes and their blends that can be applied as...

This $175,000 Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program supports the development of Retrn Bioworks Inc.'s sustainable, biodegradable barrier coatings for fiber-based food packaging. The funding will enable Retrn Bio to genetically engineer its biological production platform to better utilize waste forest product residues, formulate various bioplastic compositions, and...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $366,151 Project Grant under its Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) to Michigan State University. The grant aims to develop new types of eco-friendly coating materials to address environmental and health risks posed by common packaging materials like plastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The research team intends to create wax-based coatings for paper that provide necessary packaging functionality without relying on harmful...

This Cooperative Agreement award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program provides $1,250,000.00 in funding to Phaxtec, Inc. to develop biopolymer coatings for paper used in foodservice packaging. The goal is to create a biodegradable, naturally-derived polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) coating that can replace traditional plastic coatings, reducing waste and enabling recycling of paper packaging. The research aims to optimize...

This Project Grant award provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation (CFDA 47.041 Engineering) will support the development of novel manufacturing principles for high-performance, sustainable packaging films from hierarchically reinforced biopolymers. The $374,160 award to North Carolina State University aims to enable the production of natural material-based films that match or exceed the properties of synthetic polymer films,...

This $125,000 project grant from the National Science Foundation's Mathematical and Physical Sciences program aims to develop new materials processing strategies for flexible packaging films. Specifically, the University of Massachusetts Lowell and Amherst, in collaboration with the UMass Donahue Institute, will investigate melt-mastication and layer multiplying sonication techniques to create high-performance barrier films from single polyolefin types. This seeks to replace traditional...

This federal Project Grant award, provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program (CFDA 10.310), supports the development of new biodegradable coatings derived from glycerin for food packaging applications. The $225,000 grant awarded to Iowa State University aims to create specialized biopolymers that can enhance the barrier properties of biobased plastics like polylactic acid...