Refrigerator component coating

Abstract

A method is provided for producing a refrigerator component (110S, 110D, 110L, 110T, 110B, 110DL, 120D1, 120D2, 120D3, 120L, 120DL) adapted to be used in a refrigerating compartment (110, 120) of a refrigerator (100). The method comprises: - generating (210) a substrate (SB) of the refrigerator component using recycled material; - applying (230-250) a coating layer (CT) on at least a portion (SP) of the substrate (SB) adapted to face the inside of the refrigerating compartment (110, 120) when the refrigerator component is fit in the refrigerating compartment (110, 120). Said applying (230-250) the coating layer (CT) comprises: - applying (230) a colloidal solution (CL) comprising Silicon and Oxygen on said at least a portion (SP); - providing (250) heat to the applied colloidal solution (CL) to cure the coating layer (CT).

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] Title: REFRIGERATOR COMPONENT COATING

[0003] Technical field

[0004] The present disclosure generally relates to the field of refrigerating appliances. Particularly, the present disclosure relates to refrigerator components for refrigerating appliances, and more particularly to a coating for said refrigerator components.

[0005] Background art

[0006] The background of the present disclosure is hereinafter introduced with the discussion of techniques relating to its context. However, even when this discussion refers to documents, acts, artifacts and the like, it does not suggest or represent that the discussed techniques are part of the prior art or are common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present disclosure.

[0007] A refrigerating appliance (or simply a “refrigerator”) is an appliance configured to store food products to be preserved by maintaining a controlled humidity and low-temperature environment. A conventional refrigerator comprises a cabinet enclosing one or more refrigerating compartments such as one or more fridge compartments and one or more freezer compartments.

[0008] In addition to internal electric and electromechanical mechanisms / apparatuses and in addition to the mechanisms / apparatuses of the cooling circuit which are responsible for the actuation and control of the refrigeration process (such as compressors, evaporators, condensers, fans, pumps, thermostats), a large family of other components of the refrigerator (hereinafter, “refrigerator components”) serve diverse purposes, including the support, storage and accessibility of food products, as well as the protection of the internal mechanisms of the refrigerator and the definition of the refrigerator's physical form. These refrigerator components, comprising elements like drawers, shelves, trays, baskets, panels, liners, boxes, covers, are integral to the overall efficiency, usability, and aesthetic appeal of the appliance.

[0009] By optimizing the design and interaction of these components, manufacturers can enhance user experience and extend the lifespan of stored food. Given the direct contact of many of these refrigerator components with food, ensuring the safety and hygiene of these components is paramount. Food contact certification is essential to guarantee that materials used in refrigerator components comply with stringent regulations to prevent contamination and protect consumer health. By adhering to food contact certification standards, manufacturers can ensure the safety and reliability of their products.

[0010] Food contact certifications can be obtained through so-called migration tests following prescribed official protocols. For example, food simulants are put in contact with a portion of a surface under given conditions of temperature and for a given time and through chemical analysis the presence of potential contaminants is assessed.

[0011] On the other hand, the environmental impact of manufactured products, such as the refrigerator components, is a growing concern. The production of these components often involves the consumption of significant energy resources and the generation of greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the disposal of end-of-life refrigerator components can pose environmental challenges.

[0012] A solution to minimize the ecological footprint of the refrigerator components provides for employing recycled material for the manufacturing thereof. However, refrigerator components made of recycled material usually comprise contaminants that may potentially contaminate the food products in contact with said components, and therefore are not compliant with food contact certification standards.

[0013] WO2024114878A1 discloses a refrigerator inner liner comprising a first layer of a recycled material adapted to face the insulation wall of a refrigerator and a second layer of virgin material adapted to face the inside of a cooled refrigerating compartment, wherein the second layer is placed onto the first layer by means of a colamination process or of a co-extrusion process.

[0014] Summary

[0015] The Applicant realized that although the solution disclosed in WO2024114878A1 allows to employ a portion of recycled material for the manufacturing of a refrigerator liner and at the same time avoid potential migration of contaminants from the recycled material to the food products by means of the provision of a second layer, said solution is complicated and not cost effective, because it provides the deposition of the second layer through a complicated and expensive colamination or co-extrusion process. In addition, the percentage of recycled plastic is limited.

[0016] Moreover, the solution disclosed in WO2024114878A1 based on colamination or co-extrusion processes cannot be easily converted to be used for the manufacturing of refrigerator components like drawers, shelves, trays, baskets, panels, liners, boxes, covers, which are usually manufactured through injection molding processes.

[0017] In view of the above, the Applicant realized that there is a need for cost effective solutions in the design and manufacturing of refrigerator components that allow to minimize their ecological footprint, increasing as much as possible the amount of recycled material comprised in the refrigerator components, and that are compliant with food contact certification standards.

[0018] One or more aspects of the present invention are set out in the independent claims, with advantageous features of the same invention that are indicated in the dependent claims, whose wording is enclosed herein verbatim by reference (with any advantageous feature being provided with reference to a specific aspect of the present invention that applies mutatis mutandis to any other aspect thereof).

[0019] An aspect of the present invention relates to a method for producing a refrigerator component adapted to be used in a refrigerating compartment of a refrigerator.

[0020] The method comprises generating a substrate of the refrigerator component using recycled material.

[0021] The method further comprises applying a coating layer on at least a portion of the substrate adapted to face the inside of the refrigerating compartment when the refrigerator component is fit in the refrigerating compartment.

[0022] Said applying the coating layer comprises applying a colloidal solution comprising Silicon and Oxygen on said at least a portion.

[0023] Said applying the coating layer further comprises providing heat to the applied colloidal solution to cure the coating layer. In this way, a refrigerator component compliant with food contact certification standards can be expediently manufactured using a large amount of recycled material.

[0024] The coating layer generated using Silicon and Oxygen has a good transparency, a low permeability factor (implying an improved barrier efficiency against the passage of contaminants) and an improved mechanical rigidity.

[0025] According to an embodiment of the present invention, said applying a colloidal solution comprises spraying said colloidal solution on said at least a portion of the substrate or dipping said at least a portion of the substrate into a bath of said colloidal solution.

[0026] In this way, it is possible to easily apply a very thin coating layer on the substrate, further increasing the amount of recycled material.

[0027] According to an embodiment of the present invention, said coating layer has a thickness comprised in the range of 0,5 - 20 pm.

[0028] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises gelling the applied colloidal solution before said providing heat.

[0029] According to an embodiment of the present invention, said generating a substrate of the refrigerator component comprises generating the substrate using an injection molding process.

[0030] Indeed, the application of the coating layer through a colloidal solution is compatible with substrates manufactured through injection molding processes. This is particularly advantageous since most refrigerator components are manufactured through injection molding, such as drawers, shelves, trays, baskets, panels, liners, boxes, covers.

[0031] According to an embodiment of the present invention, said recycled material comprises at least one of:

[0032] - glass;

[0033] - polystyrene;

[0034] - high impact polystyrene;

[0035] - polypropylene;

[0036] - polypropylene block copolymer - acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Polycarbonate (PC), a mixture of PC and ABS

[0037] - polycarbonate

[0038] - a mixture of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and polycarbonate.

[0039] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises preheating said substrate of the refrigerator component before said applying the coating layer.

[0040] In this way, an activation of the applied colloidal solution is facilitated.

[0041] According to an embodiment of the present invention, said generating a substrate of the refrigerator component comprises generating the substrate using both recycled material and virgin material.

[0042] For example, the substrate may be generated using 95%-50% of recycled material and 5%-50% of virgin material.

[0043] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a refrigerator component adapted to be used in a refrigerating compartment of a refrigerator.

[0044] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator component is a selected one of:

[0045] - a refrigerator drawer;

[0046] - a refrigerator shelf;

[0047] - a refrigerator tray;

[0048] - a refrigerator basket;

[0049] - a bottle tray;

[0050] - an ice tray;

[0051] - an egg tray;

[0052] - a refrigerator door bin;

[0053] - a refrigerator panel;

[0054] - a refrigerator inner liner;

[0055] - a refrigerator thermostat box;

[0056] - a refrigerator fan enclosure;

[0057] - a refrigerator door liner;

[0058] - a refrigerator evaporator cover. Another aspect of the present invention relates to a refrigerator.

[0059] The refrigerator comprises a refrigerating compartment configured to preserve food products.

[0060] The refrigerator comprises a refrigerator component located in the refrigerating compartment.

[0061] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a refrigerator component adapted to be used in a refrigerating compartment of a refrigerator for preserving food products.

[0062] Said refrigerator component is at least partially made of recycled material.

[0063] Said refrigerator component comprises a coating layer covering surfaces of the refrigerator component configured to be in contact with said food product.

[0064] Said coating layer comprises Silicon and Oxygen.

[0065] Brief description of the annexed drawings

[0066] These and other features and advantages of the present invention will appear more clearly by reading the following detailed description of exemplary and non- limitative embodiments thereof. For its better intelligibility, the following description should be read making reference to the attached drawing, wherein:

[0067] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator in which embodiments of the present invention may be applied;

[0068] Figure 2 depicts phases of a method for producing a refrigerator component for the refrigerator of Figure 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0069] Detailed description of exemplary embodiments

[0070] With reference to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a refrigerator 100 (e.g., for domestic use) in which embodiments of the present invention may be applied.

[0071] In the following, only features of the refrigerator 100 that are deemed relevant for the understanding of the present disclosure will be discussed, with well-known features and / or obvious variants thereof that will be omitted for the sake of conciseness.

[0072] In the following, directional terminology (for example, upper, lower, top, bottom, lateral, side, front, rear, longitudinal, horizontal, transverse, vertical) associated with the refrigerator 100 and components thereof will be used only in connection with their orientation in the figures, which is assumed as their orientation of use (i.e., the orientation taken when the refrigerator 100 is installed in the user premises). Therefore, directional terminology should be under no circumstances construed in absolute terms.

[0073] In the following, the directional terminology is referred to mutually orthogonal reference directions X, Y, and Z, denoted as horizontal direction X, transverse direction Y, and vertical direction Z (the X-Y plane identifying, for example, a plane where the refrigerator 100, in use, is intended to rest).

[0074] The refrigerator 100 is configured to store food products to be preserved.

[0075] The refrigerator 100 is a stand-alone refrigerator. Anyway, the present disclosure equivalently applies to built-in refrigerators.

[0076] The refrigerator 100 comprises a cabinet 105. The cabinet 105 is substantially parallelepiped-shaped. However similar considerations apply if the cabinet has a different shape.

[0077] The cabinet 105 encloses (or, more generally, the refrigerator 100 comprises) one or more refrigerating compartments (such as one or more fridge compartments and one or more freezer compartments, as discussed here below).

[0078] The cabinet 105 encloses (or, more generally, the refrigerator 100 comprises) a fresh food storage compartment (hereinafter, fridge compartment) 110, or more thereof, adapted to store fresh food products to be preserved.

[0079] The refrigerator 100 comprises a front door (hereinafter, fridge door) 115 operable for selectively accessing the fridge compartment 110.

[0080] The fridge compartment 110 may comprise or be associated with one or more refrigerator components for the organized positioning of the food products to be stored in the fridge compartment 110. An exemplary and non-limiting list of refrigerator components of this class comprises shelves, bottle-holder components, fruit and vegetable storage drawers, dairy storage compartments, meat and fish storage compartments, egg storage trays, door bins, and so on. In the illustrated exemplary and non-limiting embodiment, the refrigerator components of this class comprised in or associated with the fridge compartment 110 comprise shelves 110S, fruit / vegetable storage drawers HOD and door bins HOB.

[0081] Moreover, the fridge compartment 110 may comprise or be associated with one or more refrigerator components for the protection of components (such as compressors, evaporators, condensers, fans, pumps, thermostats) or portions (inner walls of the fridge compartment or of the door) of the fridge compartment 110. An exemplary and non-limiting list of refrigerator components of this class comprises thermostat boxes, fan enclosures, evaporator covers, refrigerating compartment liners, door inner liners, and so on. In the illustrated exemplary and non-limiting embodiment, the refrigerator components of this class comprised in or associated with the fridge compartment 110 comprise a thermostat box HOT enclosing a thermostat of the refrigerator 100, a fan enclosure HOF enclosing a recirculation fan of the fridge compartment 110, a refrigerating compartment inner liner HOL covering internal walls of the fridge compartment 110 and a door inner liner 110DL covering the internal side of the fridge door 115.

[0082] The cabinet 105 encloses (or, more generally, the refrigerator 100 comprises) a frozen food storage compartment (hereinafter, freezer compartment) 120, or more thereof, adapted to store frozen food products, particularly food products to freeze or to keep frozen, the refrigerator 100 thus identifying a so-called combined refrigeratorfreezer appliance or fridge-freezer appliance.

[0083] The refrigerator 100 comprises a front door (hereinafter, freezer door) 125 operable for selectively accessing the freezer compartment 120. In alternative embodiments, not shown, the refrigerator 100 may comprise a single front door for selectively accessing both the fridge compartment 110 and the freezer compartment 120

[0084] Like the fridge compartment 110, the freezer compartment 120 may comprise or be associated with one or more refrigerator components for the organized positioning of the food products to be stored in the freezer compartment 120 as well as one or more refrigerator components for the protection of components or portions of the freezer compartment 110.

[0085] In the illustrated exemplary and non-limiting embodiment, the refrigerator components comprised in or associated with the freezer compartment 120 comprise a top drawer 120D1 located at an upper region of the freezer compartment 120, a bottom drawer 120D3 located at a lowermost or bottom region of the freezer compartment 120, and an intermediate drawer 120D2 located at an intermediate region of the freezer compartment 120 between the upper and lowermost regions. Similar considerations apply in case a different number of drawers (for example, only one) and / or a different layout (e.g., where drawers are replaced by shelves with and without front lid) are provided.

[0086] In the illustrated exemplary and non-limiting embodiment, the refrigerator components comprised in or associated with the freezer compartment 120 further comprises a freezer compartment inner liner 120L covering internal walls of the freezer compartment 120 and a door inner liner 120DL covering the internal side of the freezer door 125.

[0087] The freezer compartment 120 is thermally insulated from the fridge compartment 110 (or from other refrigerating compartment(s)). The freezer compartment 120 comprises a refrigeration system, preferably independent from the refrigeration system of the fridge compartment 110 (or from the refrigeration system(s) of other refrigerating compartment(s)).

[0088] In the considered example, the freezer compartment 120 is arranged, along the vertical direction Z, below the fridge compartment 110. Without losing generality, the fridge compartment 110 and the freezer compartment 120 may be arranged in any mutual position and / or in any position with respect to other refrigerating compartments (if any). Just as an example, the freezer compartment 120 may be positioned at the top, bottom, side or in any other position inside the refrigerator 100.

[0089] In the illustrated example, the freezer compartment 120 is smaller (in capacity and / or volume) than the fridge compartment 110, although this should not be construed limi tingly.

[0090] Although in the foregoing explicit reference has been made to a refrigerator comprising both a fridge compartment and a freezer compartment, the principles of the present disclosure equivalently apply to a refrigerator comprising the freezer compartment 120 and two or more additional refrigerating compartments (including one or more fridge compartments, such as the fridge compartment 110, and one or more freezer compartments, such as freezer compartments analogous to or different from the freezer compartment 120), regardless of number and / or shape and / or size and / or position of the freezer compartment 120 and of the additional refrigerating compartment(s).

[0091] Moreover, although in the foregoing explicit reference has been made to a refrigerator comprising both a fridge compartment and a freezer compartment, the principles of the present disclosure equivalently apply to a refrigerator comprising only the freezer compartment 120 and no fridge compartment 110, or to a refrigerator comprising only the fridge compartment 110 and no freezer compartment 120.

[0092] Figure 2 depicts phases of a method for producing a refrigerator component according to an embodiment of the present invention. The refrigerator component may be one of the refrigerator components mentioned in relationship with Figure 1, such as for example one of the shelves 110S.

[0093] A first phase 210 of the method provides for generating a substrate SB of the refrigerator component, providing a structural and mechanical strength, as well a shape, to the refrigerator component, depending on the type and purpose of the refrigerator component itself. Figure 2 schematically illustrate a (section view of a) part of the substrate SB. Making for example reference to an exemplary and nonlimiting case in which the refrigerator component is a drawer HOD, the part of the substrate SB illustrated in Figure 2 may be for example a part of a bottom wall of the drawer.

[0094] The substrate SB is preferably generated using an injection moulding process, by injecting molten material under high pressure into a steel mould having the desired shape. However, the concepts of the present invention can be applied also in case the substrate SB is generated with processes different from the injection moulding process.

[0095] The material used for the generation of the substrate SB (e.g., the molten material injected into the mould) depends on the type and destined use of the refrigerator component. Non-limiting examples of said material may comprise one or more of glass, polystyrene, high impact polystyrene, polypropylene, polypropylene block copolymer, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), Polycarbonate (PC), a mixture of PC and ABS. Making for example reference to the exemplary and non- limiting case in which the refrigerator component is a drawer HOD, the material used may be polypropylene or Polystyrene.

[0096] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the material(s) used for generating the substrate SB comprises recycled material(s). Preferably, the substrate SB is entirely made using recycled material(s). However, the concepts of the present invention can be applied also in case the substrate SB may be made using both recycled material(s) and virgin material(s) (such as for example 95%-50% of recycled material and 5%-50% of virgin material).

[0097] The next phases of the method for producing the refrigerator component are directed to the formation of a barrier coating layer on at least one portion SP of the substrate SB of the refrigerator component that acts as a barrier preventing potential migration of possible contaminants included in the (material forming the) substrate SB from said at least one portion SP to food products that may be in contact with such portion(s) SP.

[0098] Said at least one portion SP of the substrate SB of the refrigerator component to be coated with the barrier coating layer comprises (at least) the portion(s) of the refrigerator component that, when the refrigerator component is fit in a refrigerating compartment of the refrigerator 100, faces the inside of said refrigerating compartment, and therefore can be in contact with food products stored in said refrigerating compartment. For example, if the refrigerator component is a drawer HOD, the portions SP of the substrate that can be in contact with food products may comprise at least an upper surface of the bottom wall of the drawer HOD on which the food products may rest and the surfaces of lateral walls of the drawer HOD facing toward the inside of the drawer itself. In the exemplary and non-limitative case illustrated in Figure 2, in which a part of the substrate SB corresponding to the bottom wall of a drawer HOD is depicted, said at least one portion SP of the substrate SB to be coated with the barrier coating layer may comprise the upper surface of the bottom wall of the drawer HOD and the lower surface of the bottom wall opposite to the upper wall.

[0099] As another example, if the refrigerator component is the thermostat box HOT, the portions SP of the substrate that can be in contact with food products may comprise only the surface of the box opposite to the one facing the inside of the box.

[0100] In any case, said at least one portion SP of the substrate SB of the refrigerator component to be coated with the barrier coating layer may also correspond to the entire surface of the substrate SB.

[0101] The formation of the barrier coating layer on said at least one portion SP of the substrate SB of the refrigerator component is carried out through a sol-gel process. As it is known to those skilled in the art, the sol-gel process is a process for producing solid materials starting from small molecules, involving the use of a solution comprising monomers for the generation a colloidal solution (in jargon, called “sol”) acting as a precursor for an integrated network (in jargon, called “gel”) of discrete particles or network polymers.

[0102] More particularly, a next phase 220 of the method provides for pre-heating the substrate SB to a pre-heat temperature PT suitable to facilitate the activation of the sol. For example, the pre-heat temperature PT may be in the range 20-50 °C.

[0103] The next phase 230 of the method provides for applying a layer CL of colloidal solution (sol) to said at least one portion SP of the substrate SB of the refrigerator component. The colloidal solution is a colloidal solution comprising Silicon and Oxygen. For example, the colloidal solution may be a mixture in which a first substance comprising Silicon and Oxygen in form of microscopically dispersed particles is suspended throughout a second liquid substance comprising solvent.

[0104] Because of the peculiar properties of the sol (which has both a dispersed phase and a continuous phase), a very thin layer CL of colloidal solution can be easily and efficiently applied to said at least one portion SP of the substrate SB of the refrigerator component. For example, the applied layer CL of colloidal solution may range from 0,5 to 20 microns.

[0105] Possible examples for the application of the colloidal solution comprise a spray-based method and a dip-based method.

[0106] According to the spray -based method, the colloidal solution is directly sprayed on said at least one portion SP of the substrate SB of the refrigerator component.

[0107] According to the dip-based method, said at least one portion SP of the substrate SB of the refrigerator component is dipped into a bath of said colloidal solution.

[0108] The next phase 240 of the method provides for gelling the layer CL of colloidal solution applied to said at least one portion SP of the substrate SB of the refrigerator component, ie., to condense said layer CL into a corresponding gel layer GL and cause evaporation of the solvent to start.

[0109] The following phase 250 of the method is a curing phase providing for heating the gel layer GL in order to remove the remaining solvent and promote reticulation to transform said gel layer GL into a glass-like cured coating layer CT. The temperature reached during this phase, hereinafter referred to as heating temperature HT, influences the rigidity and surface hardness of the layer, and has to be lower than the softening temperature of the material used for the generation of the substrate SB. For example, the heating temperature HT may be set to 80 °C in case the substrate SB is made of or include plastic material.

[0110] Compared to the known refrigerator components manufactured with the methods known in the art, the refrigerator component provided with the coating layer CT according to the embodiments of the invention has several advantages.

[0111] Thanks to the peculiarity of the sol-gel process, the resulting coating layer CT covering the portion(s) SP of the substrate SB of the refrigerator component can be made very thin, with a thickness ranging for example from 0.5 to 20 pm.

[0112] In this way, the ratio recycled / virgin materials of the finished refrigerator component may be very large, greatly minimizing the ecological footprint. For example, if the substrate SB of the refrigerator component is entirely made by recycled material, the only virgin material used for the refrigerator component is the (small amount of the) one used for the very thin coating layer CT.

[0113] The effectiveness of the coating layer CT in acting as a barrier to prevent the migration of contaminants included in the substrate SB to food products is very high even when the coating layer CT has a very low thickness, such as lower than 3 pm.

[0114] On this regard, the Applicant has demonstrated the barrier effectiveness of the coating layer CT by performing a migration test compliant with the European Union’s “Regulation on plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with food” (EU Regulation 10 / 2011). The test has been performed on a component having a substrate SB made of high impact polystyrene contaminated with several chemical substances having different polarities and different molecular masses, such as for example Chlorobenzene (CAS number 108-09-7), Toluene (CAS number 108-88-3), Benzophenone (CAS number 119-61-9), Adipol_2EH (CAS number 103-23-1), BHT (CAS number 128-37-0).

[0115] The substrate SB was provided with a coating layer CT of 1,5 pm obtained through a sol-gel process according to the embodiments of the invention described above. The test has been fully passed, showing a migration of the contaminants lower than the reference values required by the EU Regulation 10 / 2011, e.g., lower than 10 parts per billion (ppb).

[0116] The use of Silicon and Oxygen for the generation of the coating layer CT according to the procedure described above is advantageous, since Silicon and Oxygen give the coating layer CT some useful properties typical of glassy materials, such as for example: a good transparency; a low permeability factor (lower than the one of polymeric materials) implying an improved barrier efficiency against the passage of contaminants; an improved mechanical rigidity.

[0117] Furthermore, the sol-gel procedure described above is very versatile, advantageously allowing the application of a coating layer CT on a wide range of refrigerator components of different shapes, materials and types. For example, the coating layer CT may be easily applied onto substrates SB generated by means of an injection moulding process without requiring any particular modification of the moulds used in the process.

[0118] Naturally, in order to satisfy local and specific requirements, a person skilled in the art may apply to the disclosure described above many logical and / or physical modifications and alterations. More specifically, although the disclosure has been described with a certain degree of particularity with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it should be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form and details as well as other embodiments are possible. In particular, different embodiments of the disclosure may even be practiced without the specific details (such as the numeric examples) set forth in the preceding description for providing a more thorough understanding thereof; on the contrary, well-known features may have been omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the description with unnecessary particulars.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method for producing a refrigerator component (1 IOS, HOD, 110L, HOT, HOB, 110DL, 120D1, 120D2, 120D3, 120L, 120DL) adapted to be used in a refrigerating compartment (HO, 120) of a refrigerator (100), the method comprising:- generating (210) a substrate (SB) of the refrigerator component using recycled material;- applying (230 - 250) a coating layer (CT) on at least a portion (SP) of the substrate (SB) adapted to face the inside of the refrigerating compartment (HO, 120) when the refrigerator component is fit in the refrigerating compartment (HO, 120), said applying (230 - 250) the coating layer (CT) comprising:- applying (230) a colloidal solution (CL) comprising Silicon and Oxygen on said at least a portion (SP);- providing (250) heat to the applied colloidal solution (CL) to cure the coating layer (CT).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said applying (230) a colloidal solution (CL) comprises carrying out a selected one of:- spraying said colloidal solution (CL) on said at least a portion (SP) of the substrate (SB), and- dipping said at least a portion (SP) of the substrate (SB) into a bath of said colloidal solution (CL).

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising gelling (240) the applied colloidal solution (CL) before said providing (250) heat.

4. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein said generating (210) a substrate (SB) of the refrigerator component comprises generating the substrate using an injection molding process.

5. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein said recycled material comprises at least one of:- glass;- polystyrene;- high impact polystyrene;- polypropylene;- polypropylene block copolymer- acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Polycarbonate (PC), a mixture of PC and ABS- polycarbonate- a mixture of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and polycarbonate.

6. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein said coating layer (CT) has a thickness comprised in the range of 0,5 - 20 pm.

7. The method of any of the preceding claims, further comprising preheating (220) said substrate (SB) of the refrigerator component before said applying (230 - 250) the coating layer.

8. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein said generating (210) a substrate (SB) of the refrigerator component comprises generating the substrate using both recycled material and virgin material.9 A refrigerator component (110S, HOD, HOL, HOT, HOB, 110DL, 120D1, 120D2, 120D3, 120L, 120DL) adapted to be used in a refrigerating compartment (HO, 120) of a refrigerator (100), said refrigerator component being manufactured according to the method of any of the preceding claims.

10. The refrigerator component (H0S, HOD, HOL, HOT, HOB, 110DL, 120D1, 120D2, 120D3, 120L, 120DL) of claim 8, wherein said refrigerator component is a selected one of:- a refrigerator drawer;- a refrigerator shelf;- a refrigerator tray;- a refrigerator basket;- a bottle tray;- an ice tray;- an egg tray;- a refrigerator door bin;- a refrigerator panel;- a refrigerator inner liner;- a refrigerator thermostat box;- a refrigerator fan enclosure;- a refrigerator door liner;- a refrigerator evaporator cover.

11. A refrigerator (100) comprising:- a refrigerating compartment (110, 120) configured to preserve food products;- a refrigerator component (110S, HOD, HOL, HOT, HOB, 110DL, 120D1, 120D2, 120D3, 120L, 120DL) located in the refrigerating compartment, wherein said refrigerator component is a refrigerator component according to claim 8 or claim 9.

12. A refrigerator component (HOS, HOD, HOL, HOT, HOB, 110DL, 120D1, 120D2, 120D3, 120L, 120DL) adapted to be used in a refrigerating compartment (HO, 120) of a refrigerator (100) for preserving food products, wherein:- said refrigerator component is at least partially made of recycled material;- said refrigerator component comprises a coating layer (CT) covering surfaces (SP) of the refrigerator component configured to be in contact with said food product;- said coating layer (CT) comprises Silicon and Oxygen.

13. The refrigerator component (HOS, HOD, HOL, HOT, HOB, 110DL, 120D1, 120D2, 120D3, 120L, 120DL) according to claim 12, wherein said recycled material comprises at least one of:18- glass;- polystyrene;- high impact polystyrene;- polypropylene;- polypropylene block copolymer- acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Polycarbonate (PC), a mixture of PC and ABS- polycarbonate- a mixture of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and polycarbonate14. The refrigerating component (110S, HOD, 110L, HOT, HOB, 110DL, 120D1, 120D2, 120D3, 120L, 120DL) according to claim 12 or 13, wherein said refrigerator component is a selected one of:- a refrigerator drawer;- a refrigerator shelf;- a refrigerator tray;- a refrigerator basket;- a bottle tray;- an ice tray;- an egg tray;- a refrigerator door bin;- a refrigerator panel;- a refrigerator inner liner;- a refrigerator thermostat box;- a refrigerator fan enclosure;- a refrigerator door liner;- a refrigerator evaporator cover.19

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