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Principal Investigator:
Prof Yu LongLiu Hongsheng SCUT
Key Words: Biodegradable, starch, industrial buffer materials, fresh keeping materials

Building upon starch modification and reactive extrusion technology, the project team has enhanced starch molecule functionalities and utilized high-efficiency reactive extrusion and steam foaming technologies to develop a fully degradable starch foam material and sustainable processing method throughout the production chain. The developed project  has been highly recognized, including receiving the Innovative Achievement of the "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan" National Key R&D Projects (Agricultural Transformation Category) and the 2023 Marking Awards Global Food Packaging Competition "Best Sustainability Award," among other accolades.

Potential Applications

Internationally leading fully biodegradable foaming material developed by the project team has been utilized in various fields, including express logistics, cosmetics packaging, home appliance cushioning, fruit preservation, and children's toys.

Value Proposition

The project team has developed fully degradable cushioning materials utilizing renewable, non-edible natural polymer starch as primary raw material  by a cutting-edge reactive extrusion technology . This breakthrough addresses China's technological bottlenecks in sourcing and manufacturing processes of degradable materials while substantially enhancing the value of Chinese agricultural products. 

The project team has adopted “single-twin screw two-stage extrusion equipment and system” alongside post-forming technology in the melting process to develop two distinct systems for preparing, storing, and foaming the masterbatch. This innovation addresses the challenges faced by industrial cushioning materials, such as their large size, difficulties in storage and transportation, and high costs. The developed product can be repurposed into educational toys, organic fertilizers, glue, among other uses. The products can completely degrade into water and carbon dioxide upon disposal, return to nature and achieve a complete carbon cycle.