Novel cattail paper sheet development for manufacturing compostable cups
| dc.contributor.author | Raju, Md Mezbah Uddin | |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Levin, David ( Biosystems Engineering) | |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Liu, Song ( Biosystems Engineering) | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Rahman, Mashiur | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-09-11T15:36:38Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-09-11T15:36:38Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 0024-08-26 | |
| dc.date.submitted | 2024-08-27T00:13:48Z | en_US |
| dc.date.submitted | 2024-09-07T17:42:48Z | en_US |
| dc.degree.discipline | Biosystems Engineering | |
| dc.degree.level | Master of Science (M.Sc.) | |
| dc.description.abstract | Cattail biomass is an abundant and cost-effective source of fiber in the Prairie region of Canada. Despite advancements in the development of eco-friendly disposable tableware using non-wood biomass, the potential use of waste fibrous cattail biomass for paper production remains unexplored. This study investigates the feasibility of using cattail biomass combined with a biodegradable polymer coating like polylactic acid (PLA), to produce fully compostable beverage cups. In the current research, fibers were extracted from cattail plant leaves, achieving a 32% yield through optimized alkali retting using a 2.5% NaOH solution at 90°C for 4 hours. These fibers were then used to produce paper sheets under optimal pulping conditions: a consistency of 1.5%, a blending time of 3.5 minutes, and beating-agitation at 2,300 rpm. The uncoated Cattail paper sheets had an average basis weight of 298 g/m² and a thickness of 0.76 mm, both higher than those of the standard uncoated paper sheets used to manufacture commercial (Fools & Horses Coffee Inc.) single-use paper beverage cups provided by (293 g/m² and 0.41 mm). However, the Cattail-paper sheets exhibited lower tensile index, modulus, and bursting index (14.11 Nm/g, 1.06 GPa, and 0.04 kPa·m²/g) compared to the commercial coffee cup paper sheets (19.33 Nm/g, 1.22 GPa, and 0.1 kPa·m²/g). Cattail paper sheets were coated by applying four layers of a PLA polymer solution (at concentrations of 3%, 4%, and 5% w/v in dichloromethane solvent) using compressed air at 15 psi under ambient conditions. The polymer-coated paper sheets produced with varying coating percentages exhibited higher average basis weight and thickness (363 to 375 g/m² and 0.87 to 0.88 mm) compared to the standard coated commercial cup paper sheets (344 g/m² and 0.49 mm). The mechanical properties, including tensile index, modulus, and bursting index, as well as air permeability, of the coated Cattail paper sheets were found to be comparatively lower than those of the standard coated commercial cup paper sheets. However, the water contact angle of the coated Cattail paper sheets was higher. Additionally, the thermal conductivity of the coated Cattail paper was comparable to that of other paper materials coated with PLA polymer. The results of this study have important implications for the development of cost-effective, fully compostable, and environmentally sustainable single-use paper cups for the food and beverage industry and will provide a valuable opportunity to enhance the utilization of locally available biomass resources. | |
| dc.description.note | October 2024 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1993/38566 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.subject | Cattail Fiber | |
| dc.subject | Biomass | |
| dc.subject | Cattail Paper | |
| dc.subject | PLA Polymer | |
| dc.subject | PLA coated Cattail Paper | |
| dc.title | Novel cattail paper sheet development for manufacturing compostable cups | |
| local.subject.manitoba | yes |