Date of Defense
4-17-2018
Date of Graduation
4-2018
Department
Chemical and Paper Engineering
First Advisor
Alexandra Pekarovicova
Second Advisor
Jan Pekarovic
Abstract
Two types of xylan, water soluble and insoluble, were extracted from corn cobs and made into liquid coatings and applied to uncoated linerboard with a fine, #8 Meyer rod, with the intention of creating a gas barrier and increasing strength properties. The xylan coatings were plasticized with sorbitol and crosslinked with citric acid, and the crosslinking reaction catalyzed with sodium hypophosphite. A 1% konjac glucomannan comparison coating was created (with the same plasticizer and crosslinker) to serve as an alternative coating based on previous research in the department, but it failed as a paper coating due to the presence of glucomannan globules that created a wildly inconsistent coating. The coating that combined both types of xylan exhibited the best gas barrier properties, with little changes in physical properties, and drastic hygroscopic water vapor uptake. However, the coating made from pure isolated water-soluble xylan did nothing to create a gas barrier but mildly improved Mullen Burst strength, with little hygroscopic uptake.
Recommended Citation
Witherspoon, Zachary, "An investigation of the efficacy of corn cob hemicellulose as a gas barrier and dry strength agent on previously uncoated linerboard" (2018). Honors Theses. 3010.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/3010
Access Setting
Honors Thesis-Open Access