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Last updateThu, 29 Feb 2024 11am

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Reinforced paper for containers and packaging

The INIA-CSIC Forestry Research Centre has developed a method to increase the compressive strength and stiffness of packaging paper. Based on the reuse of ligno-cellulose waste, it gives the paper greater strength with less fibre, keeping its performance intact and generating less waste. The absence of sulphur makes the reinforced paper suitable for all types of uses, including food. They are currently looking for companies interested in developing the technology.

The application of the product makes it possible to increase grammage and strength without the need to add virgin cellulose fibres or strength additives.

Corrugated cardboard can withstand high mechanical stresses and has a very good utility/price/sustainability ratio for packaging.

Currently, in order to reduce the amount of raw material and waste generated, there is a general trend to produce lighter boxes by reducing the grammage, at the cost of reducing the mechanical strength of the packaging. The drawback is that these lighter boxes can also be less resistant.

Teams at the Forestry Research Centre of INIA-CSIC have develop a method that makes the paper stronger with a smaller amount of fibre while maintaining its performance intact. The method is based on obtaining and applying a bio-product obtained from ligno-cellulose waste.

The application of the product makes it possible to increase grammage and strength without the need to add virgin cellulose fibres or strength additives. Besides, not additional handling stages are required.

The bio-product is liquid product obtained by pre-treatment of lignocellulosic residues with alcohol-water and subsequent drying. Part of this product is a solid fraction (between 1 and 70 %) consisting of lignin and carbohydrate complexes, and another part is a liquid fraction (between 99 and 30 %) containing hemicelluloses, hydrolysed lignin and degradation compounds, mainly acetic acid and furfural.

The application of this product to the paper strengthens it and gives it a striking increase in compressive strength and stiffness.

The applied product is bio-sustainable and does not require further chemical processing. It reduces the use of vegetable fibre in the paper by substituting part of it in the manufacture to achieve the target grammage.

The application system is versatile and can be implemented at various points in the paper machine and also in the production of corrugated cardboard.

The compressive strength of the paper increases proportionally to the amount of residual product added, which allows the type of paper to be designed according to the dosage of product applied.

Besides, the absence of sulphur makes the reinforced paper suitable for all types of uses including food packaging.

Companies from the paper and board industry and the chemical industry involved in the manufacture of additives interested in the development of the technology are sought.

Contact:

Rosa Rodríguez Díaz
INIA-CSIC
Tel.: 34 91 347 3965
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