ECOFUNCO (former acronym ECOAT) is a research and innovation project funded under Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking with a consortium of 17 institutions from eight countries, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Israel, United Kingdom, Turkey and Croatia. The project started on 1 May 2019 and is expected to end on 30 April 2022.
The overall objective of the ECOFUNCO project is to select and extract functionalizing molecules (proteins, polysaccharides, cutin) from widely available, low valorised biomass such as tomato, legumes, sunflower etc. for the development of new bio-based coating materials to be applied on two different substrates (cellulosic and plastic based), with improved performances compared to currently available products and, at the same time, with more sustainable end-of-life options. Bio-mi is a Work package 6 leader (WP6) that will be responsible for scaling up and validation of coatings on plastic substrates.
The products to be developed in the project are in particular:
- Antimicrobial-antioxidant coatings based on chitin nanofibrills, and/or chitosan, functionalised MC, for cellulose tissues (personal care), paper and cardboard (packaging for fresh products like pasta, tableware), woven and nonwoven (sanitary), plastic substrates (bio-polyesters) for active packaging.
- Cutin-based formulations for coatings water repellent (paper cups, service paper etc.), water vapour barrier (packaging) and protective properties (non-food packaging).
- Protein-based barrier adhesive for multilayer food packaging (bio polyesters based), with sustainable end-of-life options (composting, recyclability).
More information available at:https://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/222688/factsheet/en and the official project website:http://www.ecoat.eu
