On November 27, South Korea’s CJ CheilJedang announced that it has developed a new product using biodegradable bio-based material PHA.
“Compostable coated paper technology”. This is the first time in the world that PHA has been used to develop a compostable coating that can be cooked in a microwave oven. This technology improves durability and heat resistance compared to existing compostable coated papers, achieving similar marketability to petroleum-based coated papers.
CJ CheilJedang created this compostable coating by mixing flexible PHA with PLA that has high heat resistance, making it compatible with petrochemical coatings such as polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE). Comparable, won’t break easily and can withstand cooking heat. The coating is not only suitable for paper cups, but also for various paper food packaging such as cup noodles with hot water and composite rice containers that require microwave heating. It is expected to have high practicality.
Additionally, while PLA needs to break down in industrial composting facilities, blending in PHA improves the material’s biodegradability and can even break down in a home composting environment. As a result, packaging sustainability is expected to improve.
New technologies also overcome productivity limitations of bio-based materials. Compared to petroleum-based materials, bio-based materials are susceptible to high temperatures and are therefore not suitable for large-scale packaging material manufacturing methods that require high-speed production through heat treatment. CJ CheilJedang has developed an optimal process to mass-produce packaging materials using bio-based materials at relatively low temperatures.
CJ CheilJedang plans to first apply this technology to Hetban, an instant rice product designed for microwave cooking, in the first half of next year.
Cupban’s paper containers then expanded its application to various other paper food packaging materials.