Plastics have remained the material of choice, and after serving their intended purpose, a large proportion ends up in the environment where they persist for centuries. The packaging industry is the largest and growing consumer of synthetic plastics derived from fossil fuels. Food packaging plastics account for the bulk of plastic waste that are polluting the environment. Additionally, given the fact that petroleum reserves are finite and facing depletion, there is a need for the development of alternative materials that can serve the same purpose as conventional plastics. This paper reviews the function of packaging materials and highlights the future potential of the adoption of green materials. Biopolymers have emerged as promising green materials although they still have very low market uptake. Polylactic acid (PLA) has emerged as the most favoured bioplastic. However, it is limited by its high cost and some performance drawbacks. Blending with agricultural waste and natural fillers can result in green composites at low cost, low greenhouse gas emissions, and with improved performance for food packaging applications. The continent of Africa is proposed as a rich source of fibres and fillers that can be sustainably exploited to fabricate green composites in a bid to achieve a circular economy.

Over the years, the world was not paying strict attention to the impact of rapid growth in plastic use. This has led to unprecedented amounts of mixed types of plastic waste entering the environment unmanaged. Packaging plastics account for half of the global total plastic waste. This paper seeks to give an overview of the use, disposal, and regulation of food packaging plastics. Demand for food packaging is on the rise as a result of increasing global demand for food due to population growth. Most of the food packaging are used on-the-go and are single use plastics that are disposed of within a short space of time. The bulk of this plastic waste has found its way into the environment contaminating land, water and the food chain. The food industry is encouraged to reduce, reuse and recycle packaging materials. A wholistic approach to waste management will need to involve all stakeholders working to achieve a circular economy. A robust approach to prevent pollution today rather than handling the waste in the future should be adopted especially in Africa where there is high population growth.

Friction stir processing (FSP) being a novel process is employed for the improvement of the mechanical properties of a material and the production of surface layer composites. The vital role of the integrity of surface characteristics in the mechanical properties of materials has made the research studies into surface modification important in order to improve the performance in practical applications. This study investigates the effect of processing parameters on the wear resistance behavior of friction stir processed Al-TiC composites. This was achieved through microstructural characterization by using both the optical and scanning electron microscope (SEM), microhardness profiling, and tribological characterization by means of the wear. The microhardness profiling of the processed samples revealed an increased hardness value, which was a function of the TiC particles incorporated when compared to the parent material. The wear resistance property was also found to increase as a result of the TiC powder addition. The right combination of processing parameters was found to improve the wear resistance property of the composites produced.

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Vanadium carbide is less dense, harder and tougher than tungsten carbide, and nickel is more corrosion resistant that cobalt. Replacing the binder with Ni should improve the corrosion resistance. Since there are eutectics with a wide range of compositions in the C-Ni-V system, this system has potential for wear resistant alloys with ~VC as the discrete hard phase and the nickel solid solution as the binder. The aim of this work was to ascertain if eutectic microstructures with vanadium carbides could be beneficial to wear resistance. Phase studies confirmed the wide range of the eutectic alloys, with VC + (Ni), VC + σ′, VC + (V) and graphite + (Ni) and different morphologies. Preliminary wear tests showed results comparable to WC-Co alloys.

Al/TiB2 metal matrix composite (MMCs) was fabricated on aluminium AA1200 with the aim of improving the wear resistance property of the substrate. The characterization of the MMCs was carried out by Optical Microscopy (OM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM/EDS) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). The microhardness and wear resistance tests were achieved. Results showed that the microhardness property of the AA1200 was increased by three times the original value and the wear resistance was also significantly improved.

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