Evaluation of enzymatic stamp removal strategies on handmade (cellulose-based) and machine-made (lignin-containing) papers

Abstract

Two different biocleaning techniques for stamp removal from different paper samples (handmade and machine-made) were investigated. Cellulose is the main component of handmade paper, while higher concentration of lignin is present in machine-made paper. Biocleaning methods included the direct application on paper surfaces of the extracellular enzymatic mixture (EEM) extracted from the yeast Sporidiobolus metaroseus and the recombinant protein CthediskatG of Chaetomium thermophilum var. dissitum. The produced microbial enzymes (EEM or CthediskatG) were also combined with agarose hydrogels. The effectiveness of the cleaning ability of the individual methods was determined using different spectrophotometer measurements based on colorimetric analysis and by Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Some tested samples were also subjected to microstructural and chemical analysis using Scanning Electron Microscope-Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX). The analysis showed that the EEM-based approaches were the most suitable, mainly they are less time-consuming and easy to produce, and moreover slight differences were displayed between EEM and CthediskatG during the removal of the stamp by hydrogel-enzyme approaches. Both EEM applications (direct and hydrogel) speed up the stamp removal process from real paper samples. However, for the complete elimination of the stamp smears a quick N,N-dimethylformamide post-treatment is advised too.