Development of advanced cellulose paper materials and products to replace single-use plastics for packaging applications

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The long-term objective of the proposed research program is to develop practical and scalable processes/technologies to produce green cellulose paper products with desirable mechanical and barrier properties to replace single-use plastics (SUP) for packaging applications, thereby reducing plastic waste emissions. Plastics pollution and contamination of the environment have become increasingly serious global problems along with global climate change. A practical way to reduce SUP waste is to use green alternative materials such as cellulose paper, which has excellent sustainability, renewability, recyclability, and biodegradability. The short-term objectives are to develop green methods/processes to improve the barrier properties of cellulose paper. Cellulose paper generally has good mechanical strength properties but poor barrier properties to liquids, gases, and water vapor due to its porous structure and the high hydrophilicity in nature of the cellulose fibers. The inferior barrier properties of cellulose paper are hindering its growth in packaging applications. Specifically, the objectives of the current proposal are to improve the barrier properties of cellulose paper against 1) liquid water penetration, 2) oil/grease penetration, 3) oxygen gas, and 4) water vapor transmission. The proposed approaches include: 1) development of green coating materials and processes to impart superhydrophobicity to paper products by creating hydrophobic micro/nano structure on paper surface; 2) surface coating of paper with cellulose materials including cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and cellulose nano fibrils (CNF) to form a dense barrier film against oil penetration and oxygen gas and water vapor transmission; 3) increasing the diffusion path of gas molecules by decreasing the pore size and porosity, increasing pore tortuosity and surface hydrophobicity transformation. The hydrophobic paper materials will have high levels of water resistance for packaging applications due to the superhydrophobic surface, which is tough enough to sustain through the packaging application but will diminish in the re-pulping process under the shear force of repulping/recycling. The proposed research program will lead to development of new technologies for the production of novel bio-based barrier paper products with desirable mechanical and barrier properties for green packaging applications, using wood pulp and paper products produced in Canada. These technologies will enable Canadian pulp and paper companies to produce high value cellulose paper products at a lower cost and with less environmental impact. The outcomes will also mitigate growing ecological concerns on the accumulation of plastic waste in the environment.