Date of Award
6-2024
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Chemical and Paper Engineering
First Advisor
Said M. Abubakr, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Kecheng Li, Ph.D.
Third Advisor
Lucian Lucia, Ph.D.
Keywords
Glyoxal, GPAM, PAE, polysaccharide, synthesis
Abstract
Paper products play an essential role in our daily lives owing to their low cost, environment-friendly character, renewability, and recyclability. Paper manufacturers have been using petroleum-based strength additives (cPAM, GPAM, PAE) to meet the perceived needs of customers. On the other hand, paper produced from cellulose is hydrophilic and porous, leading to shallow water and grease resistance, causing paper manufacturers to use many kinds of coating materials such as poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and synthetic plastic to improve water resistance, especially for food packaging paper products like cups, plates, food boxes, and packaging. However, PFAS are identified as likely carcinogenic to humans causing cancer, and petroleum-based synthetic polymers (strength and coating additives) are non-biodegradable, creating microplastic in drinking water which is considerably a significant health and environmental concern.
The goal of this Ph.D. thesis work is to develop a biodegradable bio-based paper strength agent (wet and dry) to replace the petroleum-based paper wet strengthening agents like polyamide epichlorohydrin (PAE) and glyoxylate polyacrylamide (GPAM), especially for the application of hygienic paper products. Furthermore, a bio-based coating material was formulated from the above bio-based paper strength agent by the addition of a hydrophobic agent to replace PFAS and petroleum-based non-biodegradable synthetic coating materials like polyethylene. The research results showed that synthesized bio-based paper strength additive significantly increased the wet and dry strength of paper products that are like commercial GPAM and PAE. Additionally, the synthesized bio-based coating materials casted film displayed very high strength and flexibility. The biobased coating-coated paper showed significantly increased water barrier properties, in which the goal is to close the gap to polyethylene-laminated paper bowl products.
Access Setting
Dissertation-Open Access
Recommended Citation
Marcello, Cornellius, "The Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Polysaccharide-Based Additive To Improve Wet and Dry Strength and High-Barrier Properties of Paper Products" (2024). Dissertations. 4093.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/4093