PET plastic, wood fibers and aluminum

There are several raw materials from which a packaging can be made from glass and metal to plastic and cardboard. Our group has focused primarily on plastic, as this is one of the major concerns worldwide today. Nowadays, the use of plastic has become indispensable to humans and therefore its consumption has increased dramatically since 2000. However, although part of this material is recycled, the vast majority still remain on our planet due to its extensive period of degradation that can go from 20 to 600 years. Plastic has applications in several sectors, and the food and beverage industry are the largest consumer of this resource, hence the need to look for solutions to create more sustainable packaging for the environment. To this end, the team decided to create a soft drink container made of PET plastic, wood fiber and aluminum. It is interesting to talk about each of these materials:

- PET plastic, or more specifically polyethylene terephthalate, is given the characteristic thermoplastic due to its property to be constantly heated and molded as many times as needed, receiving a seal of approval as recyclable and thus being a sustainable plastic. PET plastic was created by two chemists in the year 1941, when Whinfield and Dickson discovered that by reacting terephthalic acid with ethylene glycol they had PET.

-In addition to its biodegradability, the bioplastic made from wood fibers has the advantage over other products of its forest origin. "The raw material origin is fundamental, because conventional plastics come from petroleum," says a researcher, who indicates that it is expected that these new materials will also serve the same purposes as the commonly used products.

-Aluminum cans and containers are ideal for products that need protection from light, humidity, and odors. They also facilitate temperature change, helping in cooling and preservation. Although it is recyclable, the biggest disadvantage is that aluminum has an element that is highly polluting to the environment. Bauxite makes this one of the types of packaging not recommended for sustainable businesses.