ARTICLE IN PRESS
JID: JOBAB
[m3GeSsc; February 6, 2026;11:5 ]
Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts xxx (xxxx) xxx
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Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts
journal homepage: https://www.keaipublishing.com/en/journals/journal-of- bioresources-and-bioproducts/
Research Article Lignin nanoparticle stabilized Pickering emulsion coating for fabricating water- and oil-proof, biodegradable, and recyclable paper Zhenke Wei, Jiayu Liu, Yonggui Wang ∗ , Zefang Xiao, Yanjun Xie ∗
Key Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology (Ministry of Education), College of Materials Science and Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
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Paper derived from plant fibers is considered a highly promising alternative to non-degradable plastic packaging. However, its widespread use in packaging is limited by its poor water- and oil- proof properties. To address this challenge, this study developed a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/lignin nanoparticles (LNPs)/stearic acid (SA) (PLS) Pickering emulsion composite coating to fabricate high-performance biodegradable paper. In the emulsion system, the PVA acted as an oil-repellent in the aqueous phase, the SA served as a water-repellent in the oil phase, and the LNPs functioned as emulsifiers that effectively stabilized the emulsion. Owing to the synergistic effect among PVA, SA, and LNPs, the coated paper exhibited good water- and oil-proof properties (with a water con- tact angle of 111.2°, Cobb 60 value of 17.73 g/m 2 , and Kit rating exceeding 9/12), along with high mechanical strength (including a dry tensile strength of 7.12 kN/m and a wet tensile strength of 0.97 kN/m). While significantly enhancing performance, the PLS emulsion coating retained the environmental benefits of paper, could be easily removed to facilitate fiber recycling, and the coated paper was fully degradable in soil within 120 d. Overall, the PLS emulsion coating ef- fectively enhanced the properties of paper without compromising its eco-friendly characteristics, demonstrating significant potential for promoting the substitution of plastic with paper.
Keywords: Lignin nanoparticle Pickering emulsion Paper coating Water- and oil- proof Biodegradable
1. Introduction
Traditional petroleum-based plastic packaging, such as low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polypropylene (PP), faces challenges due to their non-renewable characteristics, poor degradability, and pollution issues arising during the recycling processes, making it difficult to meet the demands of global green and low-carbon development ( Xia et al., 2021 ; Zhang et al., 2022 ; Peydayesh et al., 2025 ). With the widespread promotion of sustainable development concepts, the design and development of modern packaging materials must not only meet increasingly diverse functional requirements but also adhere to environmentally friendly principles, thereby minimizing negative impacts on the ecological environment. Paper made from plant fibers offers advantages such as wide availability, renewability, biodegradability, and ease of recycling, and is now widely regarded as a highly promising alternative to traditional plastic packaging ( Zhai et al., 2024 ; Chen et al., 2025 ; Yang et al., 2025 ). Despite the significant environmental benefits and immense market potential of paper-based packaging materials, they still possess inherent limitations that severely restrict their effective replacement of plastic packaging. Notably, the poor water- and oil-proof properties of paper significantly affect its packaging
Peer review under the responsibility of Editorial Office of Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts. ∗ Corresponding authors. E-mail addresses: wangyg@nefu.edu.cn (Y. Wang), yxie@nefu.edu.cn (Y. Xie) .
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobab.2026.100235 Received 21 October 2025; Received in revised form 17 December 2025; Accepted 24 December 2025 Available online xxx 2369-9698/© 2026 The Authors. Publishing Services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ) Please cite this article as: Z. Wei, J. Liu, Y. Wang et al., Lignin nanoparticle stabilized Pickering emulsion coating for fabricating water- and oil-proof, biodegradable, and recyclable paper, Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts, https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jobab.2026.100235
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