(34f) Advancing Sustainable Polymer Materials: Innovations in Water Treatment and Food Packaging

Polymers are ubiquitous in our daily lives, serving as the building blocks for countless products. Ensuring their sustainability is paramount. In this presentation, we delve into the development of sustainable polymer materials, focusing on two critical applications: water treatment and food packaging. In industrial water treating, polymers can enable higher water reuse and reduce the amount of water needed from the environment. This can be achieved by designing polymers that have a balance between molecular weight and the polymer chemistry. They can also help equipment run more efficiently thereby reducing energy consumption. Food packaging designs also use polymers to provide adequate barrier and structural integrity which enable the secure transport of food and preservation of food by preventing spoilage. The processes that fabricate these packaging designs have evolved to be more efficient and recyclability has become more of a focus. In addition, the obligation to improve plastics circularity is driving a new set of requirements that are still being defined. In all of these cases, the performance needs from the polymer have become more stringent and the changes needed in polymer design for these applications will be discussed.