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TAPPI Toasts Corrugated Stars

Corrugated professionals honored.

IDCON Reliability Tip: What's That Noise in the Gear Reducer?

A key inspection for gear reducers is to listen for noise. The inspection should focus on a change in the sound.

Research on flame-retardant paper prepared by the method of in-pulp addition of ammonium polyphosphate, TAPPI Journal May 2023

Advanced real-time digital microscopy of foaming processes, TAPPI Journal January 2023

New opportunities in the paper and nonwovens industries with foam-assisted web forming and chemical application, TAPPI Journal January 2023

Z-direction chemical analysis for new application methods, TAPPI Journal January 2023

Editorial: New research signals promising future for wet-end options, TAPPI Journal January 2023

Safety First: Georgia-Pacific

For each year’s first cover story, Paper360° spotlights the safety achievements of a leading pulp, paper, or packaging manufacturer—because nothing is more important to our industry’s success than the safety of its people.

Fiber-Based Solutions: Sustana Mill Optimization for Dry Bale Production

In a strategic move, Sustana acquired fiber drying equipment for its De Pere, WI, facility for a capex project that optimized its product, its process, and its future.

Aging and degradation of oil and grease barrier papers coate

ABSTRACT: The long-term performance and stability of bio-based barrier coatings are critical for sustainable packaging. In this study, the aging and degradation of a biobased starch•wax emulsion coating were examined on two different base papers. Coated samples were stored for 8 months at 23°C and 50% relative humidity (RH) in their original reels to minimize external exposure and isolate internal aging effects. Multiple aging intervals were analyzed using advanced methods to assess both chemical composition and physical structure. The water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of both coated papers increased during the first 15 days, but after eight months, the WVTR dropped below the initial values. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) results supported these trends by showing a marked rise in the polarity index (PI), occurring predominantly within the first 15 days. The overall observations, including increases in the PI, carbonyl index (CI), and absolute absorbance in the hydroxyl region, confirm that both hydrolysis and oxidation occurred during aging. The gradual increase in the aliphatic C•H stretching peaks indicated that wax components moved toward the surface over time. The non-uniform surface enrichment of oleophilic wax following migration contributed to the decline in Kit rating upon aging by facilitating oil and grease wetting and penetration. At the same time, increased wax concentration at the surface helped improve the water vapor barrier performance during long-term aging. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging revealed distinct surface cracks over time on the starch-wax emulsion coated papers. The FTIR analysis supported these observations through an increase in the conformational disorder index (CDI) with aging. Physical changes were further reflected in the barrier performance, as the heptane vapor transmission rate (HVTR) increased significantly for both coated papers over the 8-month period.