Functional bio-adhesives for more sustainable paper-packaging

Global environmental concerns regarding the use of petroleum resources and their degradation ability are the drivers for research towards cost-effective and renewable adhesives in the paper-packaging industry, including beverage and liquid food products. Current bio-adhesives suffer from several different issues that hinder their wider industrial use.

Thanks to their exceptional thermal conductivity and functional reactivity, inexpensive graphene nanomaterials can make important contributions to paper-packaging production and serve as functional additives in bio-adhesives for improving the production efficiency and performance of products.

The project aims to translate novel research on graphene into solutions that enable the development of high-performing bio-adhesives by using paper straws as a demonstrator.

The project gathers important actors from academia (SLU) and private business to work together on new sustainable graphene reinforced bio-adhesives and solutions that suit the existing industry set up.

The graphene (2D fab) and paper-packaging (Tetra Pak) industries have a central role in the process for integrating the developed concepts into current industrial landscapes, and represent some of the most renowned players in Sweden and internationally.

The project supports Sweden’s vision to be a bio-based and circular economy by 2050 while it is closely linked with a range of themes of the national research programs for Climate and for Sustainable Spatial Planning.