Title of Process/ Know-how/ Product/Design/Equipment
Preparation of biodegradable thin films for food storage applications from phycocolloids obtained from seaweeds
Application/Uses/Problem being addressed
As biodegradable and eco-friendly packaging material for solid food items such as fruits, vegetables, perishable items etc.
Salient Technical Features including Competing Features/ Impact
The specification of the film: Tensile Strength; 10-14 MPa, Water vapour permeability: 0.0085 g/cm2.h-1.bar ; Moisture content = 8-10%.
TRL Level & Scale of Development:
Business scope & opportunity (in terms of scale, cost, market etc.):
In recent, synthetic & non-biodegradable packaging materials are the big source of environmental pollution in the world. They (synthetic) require long time to degrade in the environment and produce toxins to organism. Hence, CSIR-CSMCRI has developed an optimized seaweed-based formulation for the preparation of biodegradable packaging materials in the form of thin films. These developed thin films are suitable for packaging non-aqueous and solid food items for long time. The process developed will reduce the demand of synthetic packaging materials in the food industries, which help to reduce environmental pollution in future. This invention has huge business opportunity in future.
Environmental Considerations:
This process is almost effluent free
Status of Licensing:
Not yet licensedStatus of Commercialization:
Not applicableMajor Raw Materials Needed
Refined- & Semi-refined Kappa-carrageenan & alginates
Major Plant Equipment and Machinery Required
Jacketed open vessel, Closed pressure vessel, Broiler, Centrifuge /filter bed, Alcohol distillation unit, Thin film casting machine
Techno-Economics
Not done
Technology Package
Demonstration of preparation of films by mold casting method and using prototype casting machine of dimension 2 ' x 3.5'/batch; Technology transfer document (TTD) having information on product specification, competition, market, details of equipment required for pilot level installation etc. along with demonstration certificate will be provided; Technical support till 6 months after know-how licensing; Appropriate discount in license fee for small scale industries/startup will be provided; Know-how licensing fee details will be provided on request.
