Influence of halloysite nanotubes/microfibrillated cellulose on pine leaves waste based ethylene scavenging composite paper for food packaging applications

Abstract

Pine leaves and pine cone waste contain substantial lignocellulosic mass, which is the major constituent for making paper-based packaging material. The utilization of plant waste as packaging materials eliminates plastics in packaging and promotes a circular economy. In this study, we have developed ethylene scavenging paper from the waste pine leaves (PL) incorporated with microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) and halloysite nanotubes (Hal). MFC attributes include high mechanical properties and gas barrier ability and biodegradability. Hal is a nano clay that possess ethylene gas scavenging properties of the base matrix thus helping in extending the shelf life of fresh produce. The Hal loading affected the fabricated paper's physical and mechanical properties. Field emission scanning electron micrographs revealed that the paper had a rough surface, which was confirmed by atomic force microscopy. The transmission electron micrographs showed that MFC formed a network-like structure. The contact angle and water vapor transmission rate of neat and 30% Hal were decreased from 64° to 52° and 5.7 × 10−3 to 5.5 × 10−3 g/cm2/day, respectively. The X-ray crystallography showed an increase in crystallinity with the addition of Hal and MFC. 30% Hal loading had shown the highest ethylene scavenging efficiency, 79.4% at 25 °C. The results conclude that PL/MFC/Hal functional paper can be effectively utilized as ethylene scavenging material for active packaging applications.