Meeting in the NewHype project

The NewHyPe project aims to develop cellulose-based, sustainable and biodegradable materials that can substitute fossil-based plastics which are used for a short period of time and then thrown away. This is particularly relevant for replacing plastic mulch films used in agriculture. A partly water resistant, but still degradable paper to replace the non-degradable plastic mulch films is targeted in NewHyPe.

Last week the project group met at VTT in Helsinki and discussed the most recent scientific results from the project. It has for example been shown that by combining cellulose and the hybrid polymer ORMOCER®s, a paper that can withstand degradation in soil for almost three months was obtained. This work has recently been published in Cellulose:

Material properties and water resistance of inorganic–organic polymer coated cellulose paper and nanopaper | SpringerLink