"CARTONSAFE" CARTONSAFE - RESEARCH TO PROVIDE PAPER AND CORRUGATED CARDBOARD WITH FUNGICIDAL AND VIRICIDAL CAPACITY THROUGH EXTERNAL TREATMENTS DESCRIPTION In the last two years, the consumption of corrugated cardboard packaging has increased due to several factors, among which the growth of electronic commerce stands out. However, the current pandemic has also generated a special interest in security in all aspects, with many inquiries about whether boxes can transmit the virus by contact and many are still suspicious of packaging. Experts agree that the survival of the virus on the surface of corrugated cardboard is scarce, due to its porous surface, but it must be taken into account that not all corrugated cardboard is porous, since they can have surface finishes for commercial purposes, which makes its surface resemble plastic, where the virus remains active for a longer time. The CARTONSAFE project will provide biocidal treatments for the surface of corrugated cardboard, based on natural treatments, to also preserve the environmental advantages of this material. OBJECTIVES The main objective of the CARTONSAFE project is the development of products with fungicidal, bactericidal and virucidal capacity, based on natural active ingredients, for their application on the surface of corrugated cardboard for the manufacture of packaging. In addition to the main objective, the following specific objectives will be achieved: - Evaluation of the effectiveness of biocide treatments for corrugated cardboard packaging, under different transport conditions. - Evaluation of the influence of biocidal treatments on the physical-mechanical properties of corrugated cardboard, under different atmospheric conditions. - Evaluation of the influence of biocide treatments on the physical-mechanical properties of corrugated cardboard packaging, subjected to transport simulation cycles. Project Number: 22100054 Grant Agreement: IMDEEA / 2021/9 Duration: From 01/09/2021 to 30/09/2022 Coordinated at AIDIMME by: MARTÍNEZ MARTÍN, MARIA EVA R&D Line: PACKAGING SYSTEMS RESULTS OBTAINED Year 2022: The application of the treatments must be carried out by using a coating, such as a varnish. Antibacterial behavior was observed for the three natural biocides at 10% applied with the varnish on a sample of coated cardboard sheet (printing). The natural biocide that presented the best performance against Escherichia coli is the essential oil product (GE-geraniol) coated in chitosan. In addition, it was visually more homogeneous on the samples. The same treatments on papers show anti-microbial activity, but with variability in the results, which could be explained by the fact that the coating has not been filmed correctly and suffers a certain displacement, and that the bacteria suffer some type of inhibition in said hypothetical displacement of the varnish film. Biocides based on glassy compounds present clear antibacterial efficacy, although variability was also detected between the values, which could also be related to the varnish filming process. Regarding virus exposure tests, it was observed that glassy compounds considerably improved the antiviral effect of varnish-coated paper samples after just 30 minutes of exposure. Only in some cases were certain concentration adjustments necessary. As in the tests with bacteria, it was observed that there was some variability between the results obtained, which could be explained by the lack of homogeneity of the layer derived from the varnish filming process. There is no significant influence of the treatments on the properties of edge crush resistance (ECT) and perforation resistance (key physical-mechanical properties of corrugated cardboard), validating the treatments for this material. Likewise, there is no influence significant effect of the treatments on the behavior of the packaging subjected to transport simulation cycles, once again validating the treatments. The treatments do not substantially modify the appearance of the corrugated cardboard sheets or the packaging, thereby reinforcing their validation. Deliverables:    PUBLISHED NEWS general broadcast https://actualidad.aidimme.es/2022/11/03/congreso-habita (...) https://actualidad.aidimme.es/2022/10/21/finalizan-proye (...) https://actualidad.aidimme.es/2022/06/14/innovacion-en-p (...) https://actualidad.aidimme.es/2022/04/07/proyectos-fimma (...) https://actualidad.aidimme.es/2022/03/02/especial-proyec (...) https://actualidad.aidimme.es/2021/12/17/aidimme-resulta (...) https://actualidad.aidimme.es/2021/11/30/aidimme-promuev (...) https://actualidad.aidimme.es/2021/09/22/presentacion-pr (...) Technical dissemination, transfer https://actualidad.aidimme.es/2022/10/18/aidimme-expone- (...) https://actualidad.aidimme.es/2021/11/08/cartonsafe-inic (...) GRANT 249.500 € € TARGET AUDIENCE AND IMPACT MEASUREMENT 2231 Access to the project website 7744 Access to news published on own websites. Total Accesses: 9975 Objective Sectors by CNAE CNAE: 1721 - Manufacture of corrugated paper and cardboard; - No. of target companies: 415 (97 from the Valencian Community) CNAE: 3101 - Manufacture of office furniture and e - Number of target companies: 574 (115 in the Valencian Community) CNAE: 3240 - Manufacture of games and toys - Number of target companies: 22 (17 from the Valencian Community) CNAE: 2229 - Manufacture of other plastic products - Number of target companies: 350 (176 from the Valencian Community) CNAE: 4646 - Wholesale trade of pharmaceutical products - Number of target companies: 37 (11 from the Valencian Community) Objective Sectors by Activity CORRUGATED CARDBOARD MANUFACTURERS - No. of target companies: 411 (85 from the Valencian Community) PACKAGING AND TRANSPORTATION - No. of target companies: 186 (67 from the Valencian Community) TRACTOR COMPANIES Thanks to its support and signature of the "declaration of participation" the project has been funded. CARTONAJES DE LA PLANA, SL INDUSTRIAS TAYG, SLU JUGUETES PICO, SL COMPANIES DIFFUSION R&D PROJECTS They want to know first-hand the evolution of the project, and its progress to the final result. COMPANIES TRANSFER KNOWLEDGE They will implement technologies, develop strategies or look for new models based on the results.