Markets

Agricultural Paper, Tag and Ticket Items

• PROTĒAN™ enhanced agricultural paper provides a water-resistant alternative to conventional poly film mulches.
• Provides effective weed control without compromising early season soil warming.
• The added strength that PROTĒAN™ provides allows the paper to be laid using standard machinery.
• PROTĒAN™ coated agricultural paper biodegrades in the field, eliminating time and costs associated with the removal and disposal of conventional plastic mulches at the end of the season.
• PROTĒAN™ can be applied to darker papers for the Northern climates and lighter colored papers for Southern climates.
• PROTĒAN™ water-resistant coatings are a great alternative for plastics used for horticultural tags and tickets.

Bags – Industrial and Retail

• PROTĒAN™’s superior water-resistant barrier eliminates the ripping and tearing that often occurs when traditional paper bags are exposed to moisture.
• Paper bags treated with PROTĒAN™ can carry substantial weight depending on the bag design and size.
• The added strength that PROTĒAN™ provides minimizes the need for double bagging on the retail front, reducing costs for retailers and enhancing their sustainability profile.
• Retail bags treated with PROTĒAN™:
  • Are ideal in municipalities where plastic bags are banned or have upcharges attached to their use.
  • Appeal to consumers’ desire to minimize plastic bag usage.
  • Are reusable and recyclable.
  • Offer excellent printability for branding and other graphics.

Food Service – Disposable Coffee Cups

Traditional single-use coffee cups are coated with a thin plastic lining to prevent leaks and add strength to the container. Since this plastic lining cannot be easily separated from the paper substrate, the cups are difficult to recycle and often end up in landfills, creating an environmental crisis. Several high-profile retail brands are already taking steps to reduce the plastic waste that results from cups, using remedies like per-cup fees and more environmentally-friendly materials.

PROTĒAN™’s water barrier coating solution offers an effective, safe and economical alternative:

• Cups using PROTĒAN™ technology can be recycled in the regular stream of paper recyclables. No special collection processes or programs are required.
• Since PROTĒAN™ is integrated into the paper matrix, it will not separate from the fibers during recycling, eliminating contamination concerns associated with wax and silicone-based coatings.
• PROTĒAN™ coatings are compliant with FDA food contact regulations.

Food Service – Hot & Cold Food Containers

Consumers often rely on single-use, disposable, paper-based food containers for convenience. However, since these containers are often coated with plastic or wax or treated with fluorochemicals, they are difficult to recycle and often end up in landfills where it will take hundreds of years to biodegrade.

PROTĒAN™’s barrier coating solutions offer many benefits to these applications:

• Plastic-, silicone and fluorine-free barrier coating alternative.
• Lend paper-based food containers with water- and/or grease-resistance without compromising convertibility or printability.
• The grease barrier formulation covers a full spectrum of oil- and grease-resistance.
• By integrating into the paper matrix, PROTĒAN™ maintains the strength of the paper-based container to handle a wide range of food products.
• Paper-based food containers can be recycled in the regular stream of recyclables; the coated paper is also repulpable allowing it to be reused.
• Compliance with FDA food contact regulations.

Food Service – OGR Applications: Butcher Wraps, Bakery Wraps, Sandwich & Deli Wraps

There are many uses in the food service industry for paper products that have oil- and grease-resistant properties. Applications include papers for butcher shops, bakeries, coffee shops and delis as well as converted clamshell boxes and cardboard food containers.

• PROTĒAN™ serves as a barrier coating alternative that is fluorine-free and provides high to moderate grease resistance.
• Paper coated with PROTĒAN™ offers excellent mill runability, product convertibility, branding and printability.
• PROTĒAN™ is compatible with existing paper mill coating and converting operations.
• Operations can run 20% faster when using PROTĒAN™ versus existing fluorine-free technologies.
• PROTĒAN™ will not bioaccumulate and is safe and non-toxic.

Food Service – Paper Straws

The plastic straw is a single-use disposable item that is being targeted by the food service industry as it seeks to shift to reusable goods that support the circular economy. As a plant derivative, PROTĒAN™’s water barrier coating solution can help make recyclable or biodegradable paper straws a reality. In addition to enhancing the functionality of traditional paper straws for consumers, PROTĒAN™ allows manufacturers to use less paper, reducing the cost of raw materials.

Other benefits of PROTĒAN™ include:

• Excellent convertibility and printability.
• Enhanced consumer experience since straws will withstand being submerged in liquid for a longer period.
• The performance of PROTĒAN™’s barrier coating allows paper straw manufacturers to use less raw material to achieve better water-resistance.
• Compliant with FDA food contact regulations and non-toxic.

Household – Composting, Paper Lawn, and Refuse Bags

• PROTĒAN™ coated compost paper bags are the perfect alternative to current options such as plastic or PLA composting bags.
• These paper compost bags can compost in regular environments and unlike PLA, do not require special conditions, such as higher temperatures, for composting.
• PROTĒAN™’s barrier coating allows the paper compost bag to maintain wet-strength when exposed to liquids released from fruit/vegetable and food remnants.
• Compost bags coated with PROTĒAN™ are recyclable and biodegradable.

Oil Absorbents

• An oil absorbing sponge created with PROTĒAN™ technology is a safe, efficient and economical alternative to existing oil spill management tools.
• It is made from renewable and biodegradable materials.
• The oil can be quickly recovered and the oil sponge can easily be reused several times.
• The product can be converted into many shapes and sizes and used in aquatic and terrestrial conditions.
• The technology is scalable to large volumes to match the scope of the oil recovery task at hand.

Packaging – Containers & Wrappers

PROTĒAN™ barrier coatings are the perfect alternative to poly-extruded or wax-coated, paper-based containers and wrappers as these items cannot be recycled. However, several industries require paper-based containers and wrappers to have a high-level of water-resistance to protect contents.

• PROTĒAN™ creates a superior water-resistant barrier for paper-based containers and wrappers.
• The technology strengthens the base paper while facilitating recyclability.
• PROTĒAN™’s properties enable a high level of water-resistance that is comparable to waxes and poly-extruded paper-based containers with a lower overall coat weight.
• PROTĒAN™ can be applied to both sides or one side depending on the product.
• Compliant with FDA food contact regulations.

Printing and Ink

PROTĒAN™’s formulations can be applied using conventional printing processes to develop water-, oil- and grease-resistant properties. It can be a more reliable and cost-efficient way for printers and converters to apply barrier coatings while also protecting the printed image. PROTĒAN™ will dry faster, is less expensive, uses less energy, and emits no VOCs.