Low-cost system to determine CO₂ permeation through plastic films

Abstract

The objective of this work was to develop a simple, low-cost and efficient method to evaluate the permeability of plastic food packaging films. Thus permeation chambers were projected and built, which allowed for the exchange of gases through a plastic film with a known area, in order to measure the specific CO₂ permeability of each film. Low density polyethylene (LDPE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) films were evaluated. The results showed good correlation with the tests carried out using commercial permeability analysis equipments, in agreement with the values found in the specific literature. The method was shown to be efficient in the analysis of polymeric films, and could be used as a tool for determining the permeability of films to different gases, such as O₂, CO₂ and ethylene. Moreover, the equipment is easy to use and the parameters, such as relative humidity, temperature and flow, can be easily adjusted.

Keywords:
Method; Permeability; Barrier properties; Chamber; Gas; Humidification; Packaging; LDPE; PVC