부산대학교 도서관

One possible way to improve competitiveness of paper materials is through utilization of nanocellulose to achieve new properties or to reduce production cost. Several studies have shown that nanofibrillar cellulose (NFC) can act as strength enhancing additive in paper or for paper surface improvements. NFC has the potential to bind large amounts of inorganic fillers in the paper sheet, and by this reduce energy consumption during paper production considerably. However, there are challenges that need to be addressed before the novel concepts can be realized, e.g. impaired drainage and drying of paper resulting from addition of NFC. This may be solved by obtaining the right balance between NFC quality, chemicals and additives. Promising results in this respect have been obtained  but this is still in an early stage. Fiber-based packaging materials represent a “green” alternative to petroleum based packaging solutions. Depending on the packaging category, different properties are important. For the segment liquid packaging board, barrier against oxygen is important. Currently, this is obtained by using aluminum, or the petroleum-based polymer EVOH in combination with a water barrier. Replacing these materials with “green” alternatives would represent a large environmental achievement. While superior oxygen barrier properties has been demonstrated for NFC,  good barrier against water and oxygen requires the combination of nanofibrils with complementary materials. Adequate combinations with other materials and feasible application techniques are still challenges that need to be solved. Other packaging segments require other properties, e.g. high stiffness or fracture toughness. By development of appropriate nanocellulose qualities, such properties can be improved. By preparing fibrils with small diameter, translucent films can be prepared. This is an interesting property for food packaging, where transparency may be a desired trait.