Enhancing the barrier properties of paper board by a novel lignin coating

Eva-Lena Hult Mori (Corresponding Author), Jarmo Ropponen, Kristiina Poppius-Levlin, Taina Ohra-Aho, Tarja Tamminen

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

    76 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    In this study, commercially available softwood lignin was esterified with tall oil fatty acid (TOFA) and studied as barrier material in fibre-based packaging material. The lignin was esterified to different degrees of substitution and the chemical analyses of the resulting samples were carried out by FTIR, TMAH thermochemolysis GC–MS, 31P NMR and SEC. After functionalization, the thermoplastic properties of the lignin were enhanced as shown by DSC. The novel thermoplastic lignin samples were applied with a bar coater forming an even coating on the paperboard substrate. The WVTR of the paperboard (840 g/m2 × 24 h) could be reduced to 260 g/m2 × 24 h with a TOFA lignin ester double coating of 3.9 g/m2. Furthermore, a decrease in OTR value was observed for the TOFA lignin ester as well as the TOFA coated paperboard samples. In contrast to the TOFA coating, the modified lignin coatings exhibited a high and stable contact angle (80° for 2 min). The coating material did not affect the tensile strength of the paperboard. According to the results, the demonstration of the conversion of lignin into a value added product has been shown. Furthermore, the novel coating material shows promising properties for the development as sustainable barrier material in fibre-based packaging material to replace oil-based barriers.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)694-700
    JournalIndustrial Crops and Products
    Volume50
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2013
    MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

    Keywords

    • barrier properties
    • coating
    • esterification
    • lignin
    • packaging

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