Study on antibacterial papermaking for food packaging using rice straw nanocellulose and nanochitosan

Abstract

In this study, the antibacterial bleached hardwood kraft pulp-based paper sheets with a base weight of around 125 g/m2 were made with surface sizing by a mixture of oxidated starch and additives from acetic acid-treated nanochitosan and nanocellulose prepared from limited hydrolysis of rice straw by dilute sulfuric acid with added hydrogen peroxide. The characteristics of nanomaterials were analyzed by SEM and XRD. The barrier and antibacterial properties of paper were investigated to assess their ability to contain liquid and food products. Using the sizing mixture which has a solids content of 8% with additives improved the mechanical strength of the paper. The best value of tearing strength of 18.94 mN.m2/g was obtained with adding of 0.5% of nanocellulose and 1.5% of nanochitosan. The burst index of paper reached its highest value of 5.07 kP.m2/g when both nanocellulose and nanochitosan were used at the dosages of 1.0%. The antibacterial features on E. coli clearly showed in papers with 2% of nanochitosan or with the mixture of 1% nanocellulose and 1% nanochitosan addition.