Rewriting the rules of recycling
NEEDS TO BE SOLVED
1. Reaching 100% Food and Beverage multilayer packaging recycling ratio, as per EU target, by 2030
Nowadays 4,8 Million tons of Multilayer packaging are produced, of which only 21% worldwide and 51,4% in Europe get recycled. Only the 20% of the Plastic and Aluminum parts of the F&B are recycled while the 80% is sent to waste, incinerated or used as low
added byproduct.
2. Replacing the polluting and time consuming Caustic Soda.
Currently, Food and Beverage Multilayer packaging producers use Caustic Soda to perform the quality check of their containers posing harm to the operators and to the environment. These tests are carried out approx. 20 times per day.
OUR SOLUTION: LEONORA
1. 100% Recycling Ratio among the 2 (plastic, cellulose) or the 3 (plastic, cellulose, aluminum) layers of the F&B packaging.
By adding Leonora in the pulper with the mixture of water and multilayer packaging, the mechanical separation time reduces from 60 to 25 minutes while saving 40% energy and water consumption. This translates into 1 Million Tons/year of “waste” being transformed into a new resource thus enhancing circular economy.
1. Replacement of Caustic Soda for inspection activities.
Thanks to its characteristics, Leonora is able to detach the different layers of the packaging faster than caustic soda allowing internal inspection of containers for leakages or contamination. The replacement of caustic soda with an enzymatic and biological solution like Leonora has been on the wish list of F&B multilayer
packaging producers for too long.
YES BUT… WHAT IS LEONORA?
Leonora is an enzymatic solution available in liquid phase, which is able to destroy the polylactic acid holding together the different layers of F&B multilayer packaging.
Leonora’s availability in solid phase powder to facilitate its transportation is actually under R&D phase and it is part
of the scope of the EIC Accelerator funding funding request.
Leonora’s international patent request has been deposited on the 15 12 2021 with number 102021000031457 This has followed a positive clearance research completed on the 27 10 22 which resulted in 19 out of 19 claims accepted as shown below.