ABSTRACT The growing environmental impact of conventional packaging highlights the urgent need for sustainable alternatives. This work investigates the development of bio‐composite films by incorporating tomato‐processing by‐products into a commercial biodegradable polymer system. Tomato residues were dried, finely milled, sieved (< 45 and < 90 μm), and incorporated at loadings of 5 and 10 wt% by melt mixing. Increasing filler content and decreasing particle size produced a higher complex viscosity and melt strength (MS), while the break stretching ratio (BSR) decreased. All formulations showed excellent filmability both on laboratory and industrial film‐blowing lines, producing homogeneous blown films with a thickness of 100–120 μm. Mechanical tests demonstrated that the bio‐composites maintained properties comparable to the neat matrix and to conventional polyethylene (PE) films for heavy bag applications. For instance, the 5 wt% < 45 μm composite showed a tensile strength of 30 MPa and an elongation at break of 705%. Ball‐drop impact resistance remained high (580 N/mm). Stable film blowing was successfully achieved also at an industrial scale, confirming the real applicability of the proposed bio‐composite formulations for heavy‐duty packaging. These results demonstrate that tomato fillers can be upcycled into a biodegradable polymer matrix, offering a viable route for circular‐economy heavy‐duty packaging.
Mantia et al. (Fri,) studied this question.