• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.153-161
• /
• 2023

The worldwide effects of COVID-19 have led to a surge in online shopping and contactless services. The consumption pattern has caused the issues such as the environmental pollution together with the increase of plastic waste. Reducing the reliance on the petroleum based plastic use for the package and replacing it with environmentally friendly material are the simple ways in order to solve those problems. Paper is an eco-friendly product with high recyclability as the food packaging materials but has still poor barrier properties. A barrier coating on surface of the paper can be achieved with the proper packaging materials featuring water, gas and grease barrier. Polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP) coatings which are generally laminated or coated to paper are widely used in food packaging applications to protect products from moisture and provide water or grease resistance. However, recycling of packaging containing PE or PP matrix is limited and costly because those films are difficult to degrade in the environment. This study investigated the recyclability of modified acrylic emulsion coating papers compared to PE and PP polymer matrixes as well as their mechanical and gas barrier properties. The results showed that PE or modified acrylic emulsion coated papers had better mechanical properties compared to the uncoated paper as a control. PE or PP coating papers showed strong oil resistance property, achieving a kit rating of 12. Those papers also had a significantly higher percentage of screen reject during the recycling process than modified acrylic coated paper which had a screen rejection rate of 6.25%. In addition an uncoated paper had similar value of a screen rejection rate. It may suggest that modified acrylic emulsion coating paper can be more easily recycled than PE or PP coating papers. The overall results of the study found that modified acrylic emulsion coating paper would be a viable alternative to suggest a possible solution to an environmental problem as well as enhancing the weak mechanical and poor gas barrier properties of the paper against moisture.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.296-306
• /
• 2014

This study was conducted to survey and analyze the quantity of various organic wastes and to vitalize the utilization of agri-food by-products as raw materials for Total mixed ration (TMR), to improve feed cost savings and the quality of animal products. On-the-spot obstacles for animal farmers, along with legal and institutional alternatives are presented. The results are as follows. First, organic wastes in Korea are managed by the Allbaro system created in the Wastes Control Act, which processes 10,488 tons of cooking oil waste, 832,493 tons of animal and plant residues, 5,740 tons of animal carcasses, 1,171,892 tons of animal residues, and 2,172,415 tons of plant residues including 12,905 tons of rice hull and bran, for a total of 4,205,931 tons. Raw materials for TMR, namely rice hulls and bran as well as plant residues, accounted for 51.7% of the total national organic waste. The top 10 municipalities process 76~100% of all organic wastes and a supply management system is needed for the waste. Second, the 10 major agri-food by-products used as raw materials for TMR are bean curd by-product, rice bran, oil-cake, brewers dried grain, Distiller's Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS), barley bran, soy sauce by-product, citrus fruit by-product, mushroom by-product and other food by-product (bread, noodles, snacks, etc.). Third, the biggest difficulties in using agri-food by-products are legal obstacles. Because agri-food by-products are regulated as industrial wastes by the Waste Control Act, animal farmers that wish to use them have legal reporting obligations including the installation of recycling facilities. To enable the use of agri-food by-products as raw materials for TMR, waste management system improvements such as 'the end of waste status' and the establishment of more than 10 public distribution centers nationwide are deemed essential.