PAPER making! g! FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF PAPER TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL ® Volume 11, Number 2, 2025
pulping technologies could reduce the environmental impact of bamboo pulp by 9.2%– 12.6%. Under an optimal technology scenario, there is no significant difference in environmental impact between bamboo pulp and wood pulp. These demonstrate the potential of bamboo pulp to be a sustainable solution to China's papermaking raw material crisis, while also contributing to carbon neutrality goals. FILLERS “Novel Bio-inorganic Composite as a Sustainable Strength Additive and Potential Alternative to Inorganic Fillers for Papermaking”, Jitendra Kumar, Anuj Kumar, Indrasena Ghosh, Surendra Pal Singh & Chhaya Sharma, ACS Sustainable Resource Management , Vol.2(2), online. This study explores the development and characterization of a novel bio-inorganic composite filler containing precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) and regenerated cellulose (RC) derived from pineapple crown waste for papermaking. Hand sheets containing modified precipitated calcium carbonate (MdPCC) exhibited significant improvements in tensile strength (up to 68.21% increase at 15% of 20% MdPCC loading), burst index (up to 10.51 kg/cm 2 ), burst factor (up to 95.50), and double fold (263–3383 at 25% of 20% MdPCC loading) compared to control paper. This exceptional improvement in double fold is attributed to MdPCC’s ability to facilitate stress transfer between paper fibers, leading to a more even distribution of stress and enhanced fold resistance. RC containing different dosages of PCC were characterized by different analytical techniques in order to evaluate the effective retention of the PCC into RC and paper matrix subsequently. PCC alone causes a decrease in the strength of the paper; hence, the proposed filler may overcome this drawback. This study provides the alternative pathway to replace the high dosage of inorganic filler along with no compromise in the strength properties of the paper. MOULDED PULP “Sustainable food packaging: food processing waste fibres for thermoformed moulded pulp food packaging”, Huang, YiChen, a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Food Technology at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand, 2025. There is growing demand for sustainable packaging alternatives that substitute non-recyclable plastic packaging. This thesis aimed to investigate the potential of New Zealand’s food industry waste fibres for manufacturing moulded pulp trays that can reduce overall plastic consumption in the food takeaway area. Two novel and promising fibres, apple pomace and corn husk, were pulped and formed into handsheets and trays to explore their potential enhancement in mechanical and barrier properties compared to conventional wood fibres. Handsheets were produced under standard and thermo-forming conditions, and their performance was assessed. Initially, standard sheets containing mechanically pulped apple pomace, hemp seed husk, and Bleached Chemi-Thermo-Mechanical Pulp (BCTMP) fibres were tested for mechanical performance, Cobb value (water barrier), and oil penetration to screen the best formulations. Formulation containing 50% and 25% of apple pomace and 50% corn husk were selected, standard and hot-pressed sheets composed and assessed using tensile, tearing, bursting, short-span compression, Gurley, Cobb, grease resistance testing, contact angle, as well as roughness (through OCT and fringe projection) measurements. Sheets produced with apple pomace and BCTMP exhibited promising mechanical and barrier properties, surpassing those made from BCTMP alone. Their improved performance was due to higher density and stronger fibrous bonding from the addition of shorter fibres, with better packing of fibres. When hot-pressed at 230°C for 30 seconds using pressure of 393 kPa, the sheets displayed even greater mechanical and barrier performance, owing to denser fibrous networks and lignin flow, though reduced flexibility likely due to hornification, partial components degradation, and lignin cross-link reactions. In contrast, sheets incorporating corn husks
Technical Abstracts
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