What kind of products could you pack?
Food and cosmetic products are our main targets.
What is really unique in your technology?
Together the very high barrier properties we are able to provide (water, oxygen, water vapor) while using a minimum quantity of reagents. As a consequence, the % of cellulose after treatment is maximal (above 99,9%), far from the standards when a liquid coating is applied.
How do we get these new properties for papers or boards?
Thanks to an alumina layer (NB : alumina is not aluminum) that wraps any single cellulose fiber at the surface of the treated material. The alumina layer is only few tens of nanometers thick!
Does your final product contain any trace of plastic?
No. After our treatment, the materials are only cellulose and ceramic (alumina). That means 100% « plastic free ».
How is the end of life affected?
The end of life is not affected. Materials will remain as recyclable, compostable and naturally degradable as pure cellulosic materials are.
What kind of process is it?
We use a technology very familiar to microelectronic companies: ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition), which is a thin-film deposition technique based on the sequential use of a gas-phase chemical process.
Is it possible to keep traces of this gas or liquid on the « coated » paper?
The process design and the nature of the materials grant that there is absolutely no trace of the chemical material consumed for the grafting.
What about the food contact compliance?
The whole multi-material packaging film or article elaborated with the Cilkoa treatment (ie : cellulosic substrate, Cilkoa treatment and other treatment or layer if any) shall be certified to be compliant with EU regulation 1935/2004.
For that purpose, an assessment program (including migration characterization) is currently in progress, on several material combinations, in order to demonstrate the compliance with both BFRXXXVI and EN 10/2011 requirements.
Additionnaly, we can mention that alumina, which is the material added by Cilkoa treatment, is already mentionned in the « positive list » of the Commission Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 on plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with food.
Is there any nanoparticles in your « coating »?
Our technology is not a coating, it is a grafting that has nothing to do with nanoparticles. It is a cohesive layer, chemically bonded to cellulose. The thickness of this layer is few tens nanometers.
How Cilkoa modifies the paper?
Paper touch is not modified. Transparency is also kept intact. Printability before/after is maintained.
Is the technology able to process large quantities within short leadtime?
Yes. Our technology is based on a compact batch process. Each production unit is designed to process full rolls (no need to unroll) or thousands of stacked trays in a few hours. Depending on the required production rate, the sizing of industrial facilities is very modular and compact.
