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Commercially relevant water vapor barrier properties of high amylose starch acetates: Fact or fiction?, TAPPI Journal September 2021

ABSTRACT: Starches have recently regained attention as ecofriendly barrier materials due to the increased demand for sustainable packaging. They are easily processable by conventional plastics processing equipment and have been utilized for oil and grease barrier applications. While starches have excellent oxygen barrier properties and decent water barrier properties at low relative humidity (RH), they are moisture sensitive, as demonstrated by the deterioration of the barrier properties at higher RH values. Starch esters are chemically modified starches where the hydroxyl group of the starch has been substituted by other moieties such as acetates. This imparts hydrophobicity to starches and has been claimed as a good way of retaining water vapor barrier properties of starches, even at high RH conditions. We studied the water vapor barrier properties of one class of starch esters, i.e., high amylose starch acetates that were assumed to have good water vapor barrier properties. Our investigations found that with a high degree of substitution of hydroxyl groups, the modified starches did indeed show improvements in water vapor response as compared to pure high amylose starch films; however, the barrier properties were orders of magnitude lower than commercially used water vapor barriers like polyethylene. Even though these materials had improved water vapor barrier response, high amylose starch acetates are likely unsuitable as water vapor barriers by themselves, as implied by previous literature studies and patents.

The Impact Of Multiple Recycle Loops On The Yield And Properties Of Softwood Kraft 1 Fibers And Of Non-wood Fibers For Packaging, 2022PEERS/IBBC Conference (22PEE/22IBB)

Economic and competitive potential of lignin-based thermoplastics using a multicriteria decision-making method, TAPPI Journal September 2022

ABSTRACT: As a result of new lignin extraction plants hatching and increasing volumes of technical lignin becoming available, a variety of lignin derivatives, including phenolic resins and polyurethane (PU) foams, are reaching the marketplace or being used as intermediate products in many industrial applications. In the spectrum of possible lignin derivatives, thermoplastics appear particularly attractive due to a symbiosis of market, policy, and technology drivers. To assess the preferredness for lignin-based thermoplastics, this paper adapted a risk-oriented methodology formerly applied to assess lignin usage in various applications (phenol-formaldehyde [PF] resins, PU foams, and carbon fiber applications) to the case of lignin-based thermoplastics using hydroxypropylated lignin (HPL) and miscible blends of lignin and polyethylene oxide (PEO). The HPL is considered for garbage bags and agricultural films applications, while lignin-PEO blends are used as replacement for acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) in applications such as automotive parts. In the methodology, two phased-implementation strategies were defined for each thermoplastic derivative, considering perspectives for profit maximization (90 metric tons/day integrated units) and revenue growth (350 metric tons/day overall capacity), which were considered for implementation within a softwood kraft pulping mill. A set of six criteria representative of the main economic and market competitiveness issues were employed, and their respective importance weights were obtained in a multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) panel.Early-stage techno-economic estimates were done as a basis for the calculation of decision criteria. Compared to product derivatives previously assessed, capital investment for thermoplastic strategies appeared marginally higher due to the required lignin modification steps (on average 30% higher at similar capacity, and 6% for higher-scale revenue diversification strategies). Higher operating costs were also observed due to increased chemical expenses for all thermoplastic strategies, which are ultimately balanced by revenues associated with targeted thermoplastic products, leading to greater annual margins and cash flow generation over the project lifetime for thermoplastic strategies compared to other product applications (58% to 66% higher on average, at similar scale). Benefits of improved economics were reflected in economic criteria, internal rate of return (IRR), and cash flow on capital employed (CFCE), as well as in the price competitiveness criterion, CPC. Overall, the combination of relatively high lignin content in the plastic formulation and the less costly modification method contributed to lignin-PEO strategies, gaining the top two rankings. Based on their overall scores, both strategies defined for HPL would also integrate the group of “preferred” strategies, but are outranked by strategies that consider lignin positioning on PU foam applications.

Real Measurements Lead to Real Understandings and Better Operating Control of the Recovery Liquor Cycle, 2023 PEERS Conference

Energy efficient alternatives to reduce the carbon emissions in the production of linerboard, 2023 PEERS Conference

BETTING ON BIO-REFINERY AND POSITIONING THE PULP AND PAPER INDUSTRY FOR BIO-REFINERY SUCCESS, 2008 Engineering, Pulping and Environmental Conference

BETTING ON BIO-REFINERY AND POSITIONING THE PULP AND PAPER INDUSTRY FOR BIO-REFINERY SUCCESS, 2008 Engineering, Pulping and Environmental Conference

Oriented Polypropylene Films, 2008 TAPPI Decorative & Industrial Laminates Symposium

Oriented Polypropylene Films, 2008 TAPPI Decorative & Industrial Laminates Symposium

Structural Changes of Residual Lignin of Softwood and Hardwood Kraft Pulp upon Oxidative Treatment with Polyoxometalates, 2005 Engineering, Pulping & Environmental Conference

Structural Changes of Residual Lignin of Softwood and Hardwood Kraft Pulp upon Oxidative Treatment with Polyoxometalates, 2005 Engineering, Pulping & Environmental Conference

Boiler Upgrades to Increase In-House Power Generation, 2008 Engineering, Pulping and Environmental Conference

Boiler Upgrades to Increase In-House Power Generation, 2008 Engineering, Pulping and Environmental Conference

Cavitation jet deinking: a new technology for deinking of waste paper, 2008 Engineering, Pulping and Environmental Conference

Cavitation jet deinking: a new technology for deinking of waste paper, 2008 Engineering, Pulping and Environmental Conference