Within the framework of the POLIAC project we managed to obtain biopolyols from plant sources for use in  food packaging.

It is a project of the company Cromogenia, which now reaches its final stretch with the industrial scaling of the solutions investigated.

The substitution of fossil raw materials for others of sustainable origin is an established trend within the chemical and manufacturing industry in general. Cromogenia Units, a Spanish specialty chemical company established worldwide, is a leader in the implementation of industrial green chemistry solutions in its product portfolio. Several of these solutions arise from research projects carried out with CETIM Technological Centre.

In POLIAC, a project for the research of new polyols derived from vegetable oils to obtain adhesives used in food packaging, the company has relied on CETIM for the investigation of plant sources of polyols. During the last two years, we have worked on the development and optimization of different routes for the synthesis of biopolyols from vegetable oils such as camelina, soybeans, and even frying oils.

In this way, from CETIM we have investigated and evaluated the conversion and selectivity of both epoxidation and glycerolysis reactions of vegetable oils. Results, promising, are now under evaluation by the chemical company, to make a scaling that gives an end to the project and allows the incorporation of these solutions to its product portfolio.

Aligned with business needs

CETIM is a private center always oriented to meet the needs of our customers. In the case of POLIAC, it is an initiative aligned with the needs of CROMOGENIA, which develops a wide range of chemical specialties for numerous industries in the world, among which adhesives for flexible packaging used in sectors such as food stand out. This range of products is based on polyurethanes that are synthesized by reaction of isocyanates and polyols and include some bio-based raw materials, alternatives to petroleum derivatives. CROMOGENIA develops new alternatives with an equivalent or superior behavior, and greater sustainability, that impact on the formulation of adhesives at a competitive price.