Sustainable packaging research group

Our research

Mitigating transport vibrations

Our research targets ways to better understand vibrations generated by transport vehicles, so that they can be better managed leading to reduction in over packaging and scientific means to optimize protective packaging.

New packaging materials

Our team have been developing new and novel materials for packaging with a focus on antimicrobial films for extended shelf-life of food products. In recent years, the emphasis has shifted towards bio-based and biodegradable polymers. Some examples of our research in this area are provided below.

 

Incorporation of essential oil extracts into LDPE film to impart antimicrobial activity:

The extracts studied include thymol, carvacrol, and linalool which are obtained from plant species such as thyme, basil and oregano. The levels of the extracts were varied and were also tested in combination. As suite of physico-mechanical and antimicrobial inhibitory tests were performed to optimise the formulations.

 

Inhibition of S. aureus by extruded LDPE films with and without thymol.

 

Starch-based films coated with antimicrobial agents for extended shelf-life of cheese:

In this work, thermoplastic starch films were prepared using different levels of carvacrol, thymol and linalool. Physico-mechanical, migration and inhibitory tests were conducted, and the films were also tested using cheese samples.

Example of mould inhibition of carvacrol coated starch film (upper image) and significant mould growth when carvacrol was not coated on the film (lower image).
 
 
Polylactic acid/kenaf fibre composites containing thymol:
In this work, PLA composites were formed by combining natural plant fibres and essential oil extract thymol which imparted both antimicrobial activity and a plasticizing effect. The prepared composites were optimised for the best overall composition and were shown to inhibit fungal growth on processed chicken with 40 wt% kenaf and 10 wt% thymol.

Inhibition of mould growth on processed chicken is evident after 24 days when the PLA/kenaf composite contains thymol.

 

Microencapsulation of thymol in beta-cyclodextrin for controlled release from LDPE film:

One of the challenges using essential oil extracts is their volatility during high temperature processing required to produce films. This work optimised the encapsulation of thymol in BCD to both protect thymol from loss during processing, and to enable its controlled release. The films produced were effective in extending the shelf-life of ground beef.

Influence of ethanol content on the encapsulation efficiency of thymol in BCD showing that <10% ethanol is optimal (left image). Molecular representation (right image) of BCD in the centre, thymol, ethanol, and water molecules.

 

Semi-refined carrageenan films for packaging applications:

Seaweed extracts such as carrageenan can be easily formed into biodegradable films. This work used a semi-refined carrageenan which is less expensive than the more refined type. Films were prepared and optimised based on levels of plasticiser, the addition of nanocellulose and nanoclay, coating with polycaprolactone, and crosslinking agent.

Addition of nanocellulose fibrils (NCF) into semi-refined carrageenan (SRC) and refined carrageenan (RC). The trends show the influence of NCF on various properties related to hydrophilicity with the SRC generally more hydrophilic than RC. The inclusion of NCF into both types slightly improving the moisture and barrier properties.

 

Other studies:

Have investigated ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) films incorporated with green tea and oregano extracts, and red beet extracts; polypropylene/polyethylene terephthalate laminated films impregnated with olive leaf extract; and hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose films containing PLA/green tea extract nanoparticles.

Transport shock detection

It is often the case that road surface aberrations are the main cause of product damage during road transport. This research is aimed at developing a reliable and practical technique to automatically detect the presence of shocks within random vibrations, so that they can be taken into account in the design of packaging systems.

Vibration data repository

The spreadsheet below describes the conditions and parameters for a range of vibration data collected from road vehicles during typical operation.

Data was collected from a variety of vehicle types, suspension types, payloads and route types.

Most of the data was collected by Victoria University and will be continually updated.

If you wish to access the raw data files or make a contribution to the data base, please email [email protected] .

Access the spreadsheet

Circular economy

The team has investigated and prepared a report on the investment case for the Circle 8 system.

Circle 8 System Investment Case

The proposed Circle 8 system seeks to address the issue of low recovery rates and packaging waste in Australia through tracking data and smart bins.

The aim is to enable greater recovery rates and increase recycling. This will reduce the amount of material sent to landfill, with environmental benefits.

The system provides an online platform to track individual items using barcodes, NFC microchips or QR codes. This will enable greater sorting efficiency and reduced contamination, by:

• providing incentives to consumers to dispose of the packaging correctly
• creating smart bins that only accept the correct type of item.

Recycling sorting facilities may benefit from decreased sorting costs, increased recovery rates and decreased contamination rates.

Loyalty programs are included in the Circle 8 system to encourage consumers to participate in the scheme and place their packaging in the smart bins, as opposed to general waste.

For this report, a base case scenario for packaging POM and recovered in Australia was developed, with results forecast out to 2050. Results were estimated using reported values, and expected growth rates for rigid plastics, glass and metal in an unchanged policy scenario.

This base case was then compared to a systematic implementation of the Circle 8 system.

Estimates were made of the cost of the Circle 8 system and its effectiveness in diverting rigid plastics, glass and metal from landfill. These were incorporated into modelling framework, used to calculate the reduction in landfill disposal and the increased recovery rate achieved, relative to the base case.

The Circle 8 system is projected to recover more than 670,000 tonnes per annum than the base case by 2050, an increase of 23% for the recovered materials modelled.

This comprises over 360,000 tonnes of plastic, 200,000 tonnes of glass and 107,000 tonnes of metal per annum by 2050.

It's estimated that from 2024 to 2050, the Circle 8 system will have prevented a total 12.7 million tonnes of materials from going to landfill.

The costs and funding of the system could potentially lead to the elimination of local government kerbside collection costs, due to packaging brand funding for each item.