ORS9-0109
Reprocessing Active Polypropylene Packaging: Performance Retention and Migration Challenges
Topic
S9. Polymer Technology for Sustainability
When and Where
Oct 1, 2026
14:50 - 15:05
Room 201
Session Chairs
Dong Yun LEE
Presenter(s)
Eliezer Velasquez (University of Santiago of Chile)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
The transition towards circular food packaging requires recycled polymers that retain functional performance while complying with food-contact safety requirements. Although considerable effort has focused on improving recycled plastics, scarce information is available on the recyclability of active advanced food-packaging systems and the evolution of migration during repeated processing. This study investigated the effect of simulated mechanical recycling on the properties and migration behavior of an antioxidant polypropylene packaging (Velásquez et al., Mater. Des., 2026; ACS Appl. Polym. Mater., 2026). Structural, morphological, thermal, mechanical (tensile and IZOD impact), sealability, barrier, and overall migration properties were evaluated throughout reprocessing. The influence of the packaging components on recycled polypropylene was also assessed separately. The active packaging remained reprocessable by cast extrusion and retained key properties, including melt flow rate, thermal stability, and impact resistance. Reprocessing increased elongation at break by 8-fold relative to the original packaging. Moreover, the oxygen permeability of the reprocessed packaging was 65% lower than that of the recycled polypropylene control at the same number of reprocessing cycles. Interestingly, although the original packaging exceeded the regulatory overall migration limit in an acidic food simulant, successive reprocessing reduced migration by approximately 34%. These findings demonstrate that recycled polypropylene packaging can retain critical performance attributes after repeated processing, supporting the potential development of circular food-packaging systems. However, further innovation is required to simultaneously optimize barrier performance, mechanical properties, and food-contact safety of the recycled active polypropylene before its safe reincorporation into food-contact applications.
