Films and other uses of plastic materials

The sector of plastic materials is very important to Italian economy, especially to the export sales of our products abroad.

Normal 0 14 false false false IT X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabella normale"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Export rate has always been an important sign of the health of our enterprises.  Unfortunately, they have suffered an important decrease in the last years, as a consequence of the current economic and financial crisis. However, lately there have been little signs of recovery, giving hope to workers and entrepreneurs. With regard to the rubber and plastic manufacture and other non-metallic mineral products, the data concerning the production in April 2009 is positive (+2,6%), although it lost the 21,9% in comparison with the same month last year. There is also a negative index (-26,1%) comparing the first five months of this year with the same period last year.

Plastic films, although little known, are essential nowadays to various industrial sectors. They are the result of specific manufactures  of plastic, such as thermoforming and extrusion processes, which are the best method to create polyethylene rolls.

One of the widest applications of polyethylene is in the packaging industry. This very delicate sector, as it faces everyday lots of challenges and, therefore, it needs not only quality tools and materials, but also flexibility to meet different requirements. Among the most popular types of film there is extendable film. In this regard, lately a debate has been trying to decide whether the core of polyethylene rolls should be in plastic or cardboard. Indeed, it seems that the plastic core, although less ecologic, is preferable to cardboard for a number of reasons. The plastic core of extendable films is cheaper than the cardboard one, and so it is the roll, it can be recycled and recycled again after its use and it is lighter than cardboard, so less fuel is consumed when transported. In addition, when the quantities make convenient the recovery, it can be returned to the suppliers for another use.

The use of plastic cores eager the achievement of environmental goals, established by regulation ISO 14.001. Companies are increasingly sensitive to ecologist issues and there have been efforts to produce films with different materials and biodegradable, such as tomato. In fact, every year in Italy are processed more than six million tons of tomatoes, producing about 120,000 tons of waste (mainly skins and seeds).

Why, then, do not try to solve two problems at once, using the skins of the tomatoes to produce new packaging biodegradable materials? In this regard, a study has been carried out by researchers of the Institute of bimolecular chemistry (ICB) in Pozzuoli, coordinated by Barbara Nicolaus in collaboration with other institutes of CNR Neapolitan: chemistry and technology of polymers and biochemistry of proteins.

The film made with these materials is completely biodegradable, since its composition belong to the organic fraction putrescible: once their function is finished, they may be transported to the compost heap. There are two main applications for this new biomaterial: the packaging and the protection of agricultural crops.

We hope that these innovations will soon appear in our industries!

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