Thin film coating for greaseproof and water-resistant paper plates

Overview

This technology is an ultra-thin aqueous coating designed to protect paper plates from water and oil penetration at temperatures up to 150 F. Deposited through conventional paper coating processes, the coating layer adds minimal material cost while delivering greaseproof and water-resistant performance. Because the coating is thin and formulated from low-cost components, finished paper plates remain recyclable and compostable alongside standard paper waste streams. The approach addresses a key limitation of conventional paper plates, which absorb moisture and oil during use.

Technical specifications

• Aqueous suspension formulation: The coating is applied as a water-based suspension using traditional paper coating equipment, avoiding the need for specialized deposition infrastructure.
• Ultra-thin film layer: The coating is engineered to be extremely thin, keeping material cost low while still providing barrier performance.
• Barrier performance at elevated temperature: Designed to resist water and oil penetration at 150 F, making it suitable for hot food service applications.
• Greaseproof and water-resistant: The thin film delays wettability of paper fibers by water and prevents oil absorption into the substrate.
• Flexibility for forming processes: The coating must accommodate the paper plate drawing and forming process without cracking or delaminating.
• Recyclable and compostable: The coated paper plate can be processed through standard paper recycling and composting streams.
• Strength retention: The formulation is tuned to preserve the mechanical strength of the paper plate throughout its intended use.

Technology readiness level

The technology is at an early-to-mid stage of development. Laboratory work has already demonstrated that a thin film coating can prevent oil penetration into a paper substrate. Remaining validation steps include tuning the aqueous suspension to delay water wettability of paper fibers, confirming coating flexibility during the paper plate drawing process, evaluating coated paperboard performance, trialing full paper plate manufacturing with the coated substrate, and conducting a compostability study of the finished product. The coating has not yet been validated through a complete paper plate manufacturing trial or formal compostability testing.