Compostable price-look-up labels for fruits and vegetables
Price-look-up labels (PLUs) are important for fresh produce inventory control, traceability and pricing. Typically, PLUs are multilayered materials consisting of top layer (face stock), adhesive layer (pressure-sensitive adhesive, PSA) , ink and non-adhesive backing. Usually, large fraction of PLUs stays with fresh produce waste, when it is placed in compost for organics recycling. Since most currently used labels are non-compostable, this contaminates the organics recycling process, adversely impacting the finished compost's quality and value. In this group, we established a synthetic platform for plant oil-based acrylic monomers (POBMs), based on a one-step transesterification of oil triglycerides mixtures with N-(hydroxyethyl)acrylamide. Varying plant oil origin has been shown to be a powerful tool to tune thermomechanical properties and mechanical performance of the resulting polymeric materials. In this project, we use POBMs in chain copolymerization synthesis of PLUs face stock and PSA copolymers to further compostable PLU label prototypes. A series of binary and ternary copolymers is synthesized. Face stock and PSA candidates suitable for label prototyping are identified. Using the selected copolymers, label prototypes are developed and tested in terms of mechanical properties, adhesion and compostability. In collaboration with Clemson University (Dr. Igor Luzinov)
About North Dakota State University (NDSU)
North Dakota State University is a comprehensive public land‑grant research university (R1) in Fargo with a pragmatic, industry‑engaged culture. Companies engage through an adjacent research and technology park offering incubator space and prototyping resources, and shared high‑performance computing supports data‑intensive work. Pilot‑scale processing facilities and co‑located labs in the Peltier Complex and the campus pilot plant help de‑risk scale‑up and validate manufacturing processes. A statewide Extension network provides access to field sites, stakeholders, and dissemination channels for real‑world testing and deployment. Research is backed by competitive federal funding from agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and a dedicated technology transfer office streamlines IP, licensing, and startup formation.
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