Abstract
The effects of some pulp additives on mechanical, optical, and antifungal (Aspergillus terreus Ate456, A. niger Ani245, and Fusarium culmorum Fcu761) properties of papersheets produced from linen fiber pulp were evaluated. The ground materials (80 mesh) of Pinus rigida wood (PRW), Costus speciosus rhizomes (CSR), and Senegalia catechu rhizomes (SCR) were used as pulp additives at the concentrations of 0, 1, 2, and 4%. Papersheets with PRW at 2 and 4% as pulp additives had significant effects on tensile index with 26.41 and 30.22 N.m/g; burst index with 2.91 and 2.92 kPa.m2/g; and tear index with 2.52 and 2.53 mN.m2/g, respectively. The highest (64.36%) and lowest (62.90%) percent of brightness was observed in paper sheets produced from pulp without additives and CSR at 4%, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the produced papersheets with plant source additives had different degrees of decaying patterns, except for papersheets with PRW as additive, which showed some inhibition against the fungal growth. In conclusion, the mechanical properties of papersheets were significantly enhanced by the addition of the three pulp additives.
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Impact of Some Plant Source Additives on Enhancing the Properties and Antifungal Activities of Pulp Made from Linen Fibers
Ayman S. Taha,a Wael A. A. Abo Elgat,b Mohamed Z. M. Salem,c,* Hayssam M. Ali,d,e Yahia G. E. Fares,f and Mohamed S. Elshikh d
The effects of some pulp additives on mechanical, optical, and antifungal (Aspergillus terreus Ate456, A. niger Ani245, and Fusarium culmorum Fcu761) properties of papersheets produced from linen fiber pulp were evaluated. The ground materials (80 mesh) of Pinus rigida wood (PRW), Costus speciosus rhizomes (CSR), and Senegalia catechu rhizomes (SCR) were used as pulp additives at the concentrations of 0, 1, 2, and 4%. Papersheets with PRW at 2 and 4% as pulp additives had significant effects on tensile index with 26.41 and 30.22 N.m/g; burst index with 2.91 and 2.92 kPa.m2/g; and tear index with 2.52 and 2.53 mN.m2/g, respectively. The highest (64.36%) and lowest (62.90%) percent of brightness was observed in paper sheets produced from pulp without additives and CSR at 4%, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the produced papersheets with plant source additives had different degrees of decaying patterns, except for papersheets with PRW as additive, which showed some inhibition against the fungal growth. In conclusion, the mechanical properties of papersheets were significantly enhanced by the addition of the three pulp additives.
Keywords: Antifungal activity; Linen fibers; Pulp additives; Papersheets
Contact information: a: Conservation Department, Faculty of Archaeology, Aswan University, Aswan 81528, Egypt; b: Conservation Department, High Institute of Tourism, Hotel Management and Restoration, Abu-Qir, Alexandria, Egypt; c: Forestry and Wood Technology Department, Faculty of Agriculture (EL-Shatby), Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt; d: Botany and Microbiology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; e: Timber Trees Research Department, Sabahia Horticulture Research Station, Horticulture Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Alexandria, Egypt; f: General Laboratory and Research, Misr Edfu Pulp Writing and Printing Paper Co. (MEPPCO), Aswan 81656, Egypt; * Corresponding author: zidan_forest@yahoo.com
INTRODUCTION
Nonwoody plant materials such as kenaf, straws (wheat straw, rice straw), bamboo, hemp, jute, sisal, abaca, cotton linters, linen, tobacco, sugar cane bagasse, elephant grass, giant reed fibers, switch grass, Napier grass, date palm midribs, and reeds have been extensively used as fiber sources for pulp and paper production in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Latin America (Agarwal 1992; Kaldor 1992; Fu-Wang et al. 1996; Pande and Roy 1999; Girouard and Samson 2000; Ashori 2006; Khristova et al. 2006; Jimenez et al. 2008; Madakadze et al. 2010; Zhang et al. 2011; Obi Reddy et al. 2014; Nassar et al. 2015; Nasser et al. 2015).
Several materials have been added to the pulp as additives to improve the properties of the product; for example, the physical properties of handsheets are improved by the addition of cationic and carboxymethyl hemicelluloses in the sulfate kraft pulp of spruce wood (Ren et al. 2009). Strength properties of sheets made from old corrugated carton furnishes are enhanced by the addition of chitosan, cationic starch, and poly vinyl alcohol as additives to the pulp (Hamzeh et al. 2013a). Hamzeh et al. (2013b) showed that the strength properties of paper made from bagasse fibers are enhanced by the addition of chitosan and cationic starch as pulp additives. In addition, the structural, optical, and strength properties of handsheet paper made from soda bagasse pulp are enhanced by the addition cellulose nanofibrils in combination with a high degree of substitution cationic starch as bio-additives (Tajik et al. 2018). Handsheets strength properties made from the mixture of bleached hardwood and softwood pulp (50/50%) are enhanced by more than 15% with the addition of starch-coated filler (Yan et al. 2005). However, the strength, optical, and surface properties of the manufactured paper with about 10 to 15% of wood pulp replaced by kenaf pulp are not affected (Mohta 2001; Liu 2002). Mixtures of hemp and linen fiber with higher concentrations of hemp (i.e., 75%) were been used to produce writing paper specimens made in Europe between 1400 and 1800 (Collings and Milner 1984).
In the present study, Pinus rigida wood and rhizomes from Costus speciosus and Senegalia catechu (Acacia catechu) in the form of powder were used as additives for pulp of linen fiber. Several studies showed that the extracted chemical compounds present in the bio-additives powdered materials could act as antimicrobial agents. For example, C. speciosus rhizomes extract shows activity against Chaetomium globosum and Fusarium subglutinans, but it is not active against Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus niger, or Trichoderma viride (Salem et al.2016a). In addition, some compounds in the C. speciosus extract, such as saponin and p-coumaric acid methyl ester, have antifungal activities (Bandara et al. 1988; Atap et al. 1992); polyphenolic compounds in C. speciosus rhizomes extracts also have antifungal activity (Abirami et al. 2014). In contrast, Saraf (2010) did not observe antimicrobial activity in C. specious rhizome extracts. Some antimicrobial activity has been observed in S. catechu extracts (Negi and Dave 2010; Prabhat and Navneet 2010). The extract and essential oil from P. rigida wood have remarkable activity against the growth of A. alternata, F. subglutinans, C. globosum, A. niger, and T. viride (Salem et al. 2016a,b).
Fungal spores are linked to different disorders such as allergy, asthma, and various pulmonary illnesses. Fungal decay is a real concern to either the manufacturers or the users of certain grades of paper or paperboard. During paper manufacture, they have a negative economic impact on the pulp produced (Jerusik 2010). Paper and paperboard packaging materials can be infested with mold, especially when used in humid conditions; this impacts the safety of the packaged product (Szczepanowska and Lovett 1992; Alwaeli 2010; Torres et al. 2011; Guzińska et al. 2012).
Therefore, this study evaluated the effects three powder additives (P. rigida wood and the rhizomes of C. speciosus and S. catechu) on the mechanical and optical properties of papersheets of pulp linen fibers. Furthermore, the decaying patterns of the manufactured papersheets were evaluated using three isolated and molecularly identified molds.
EXPERIMENTAL
Materials
Fiber material
Linen (Linum usitatissimum L., Fam. Linaceae) fibers (Fig. 1) of 50 cm in length and 3 mm in thickness were obtained from Rakta Paper Manufacturing Company (Alexandria, Egypt) and used to produce the pulp.
Additives
Three additives—Pinus rigida wood (PRW), Costus speciosus rhizomes (CSR), and Senegalia catechu rhizomes (SCR)—were air-dried at room temperature, ground to powders, and sieved to obtain 80 mesh.