PAPER IS THE LARGEST MATERIAL USED IN THE PACKAGING INDUSTRY DUE TO ITS LOW HANDLING COST, ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY NATURE, RECYCLABILITY AND LOW WEIGHT. THE GLOBAL DEMAND FOR PAPER AND BOARD IN 2016 WAS $279 BILLION AND IS EXPECTED TO REACH $518 BILLION BY 2022. COMPARED TO PLASTIC, PAPER AND PAPERBOARD ARE PRODUCED FROM CELLULOSE, WHICH IS THE MOST ABUNDANT NATURAL MATERIAL. HOWEVER, HYDROPHILICITY AND POROSITY OF PAPER-BASED PRODUCTS CREATE SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES FOR USE IN PACKAGING. FOR PAPER-BASED MATERIALS TO BE USED IN PACKAGING, SURFACE MODIFICATION IS REQUIRED, WHICH TYPICALLY INVOLVES THE USE OF SYNTHETIC POLYMERS AND FILLERS. SINCE MOST PETROCHEMICAL-BASED POLYMERS LACK BIODEGRADABILITY, THEIR USE DETRACTS FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF PAPER-BASED PACKAGING. MOST POLYMERIC COATINGS USED IN PAPER PACKAGING, SUCH AS POLYETHYLENE, INHIBIT THE ABILITY OF THE MATERIAL TO BE RECYCLED. THERE IS A MAJOR NEED FOR RECYCLABLE AND BIODEGRADABLE PAPER-BASED PACKAGING THAT HAS BARRIER PROPERTIES COMPETITIVE WITH PLASTICS AND LAMINATED PAPER. RENUVIX HAS DEVELOPED A UNIQUE TECHNOLOGY THAT TRANSFORMS PLANT OILS INTO VINYL MONOMERS THAT CAN POLYMERIZE INTO VALUABLE POLYMERS. IN THE PHASE I PROJECT THE TECHNOLOGY WAS USED TO PRODUCE BIODEGRADABLE SOY-BASED NANOCOMPOSITE BINDER SYSTEMS FOR PAPER COATINGS. RENUVIX'S NANOCOMPOSITE SYSTEMS HAVE SHOWN BARRIER PROPERTIES BETTER THAN COMMERCIAL SYNTHETIC PAPER SIZING AGENTS. BY CONDUCTING THE PROPOSED RESEARCH, THE SCALABILITY OF THE TECHNOLOGY WILL HAVE BEEN DEMONSTRATED. RENUVIX WILL TEST ALTERNATIVE RAW MATERIALS SUCH AS HIGH-OLEIC SOYBEAN OIL IN THE POLYMER PRODUCTION AND EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF VARIOUS FORMULATION INGREDIENTS ON THE BARRIER PROPERTIES OF COATED PAPERS.