![]() Due to the low surface energies, the fluorinated chemicals have high water-resistant properties but their use is restricted because of their harmfulness to the environment and elevated toxicity level (Li and Rabnawaz, 2018). ![]() Some other methods of making water-resistant paper include the use of high alkanes or polysiloxanes and fluorinated polymers (Li and Rabnawaz, 2018). However, LDPE is not biodegradable, and PLA needs a relatively high temperature (50 ☌) for degradation (Haque et al., 2021), both of which cease paper's degradation in natural condition. Given the environmental benefits of using paper in place of plastics, some attempts were made to produce water-resistant paper previously, mostly by coating with a layer of a plastic film, including low-density polyethylene (LDPE) (Martin Jr, 1989) and polylactic acid (PLA) (Yamamatsu and Uemura, 2008). This section of packaging is still dominated by different single-use non-degradable plastics as they are mostly hydrophobic. Most of the food items, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, bakery items, fish and meat, need resistance particularly to water and moisture in their packaging so that the build-up of microorganisms is controlled. For example, papers were used as 50% of the packaging materials in Europe in 2020, 10% more than plastics that year (Coelho et al., 2020).ĭespite the eco-friendly nature of paper, its poor resistance to water restricts many of its applications especially in food packaging (Li and Rabnawaz, 2018). The use of papers in packaging is already higher than plastics in some parts of the world. There is a significant increase in worldwide consumption of packaging materials (particularly after 2019) by the impact of current pandemic (Prata et al., 2020). Global market of paper and paperboard was near 425 Mt in 2019, contrasting only 250 Mt in the 90s (Berg and Lingqvist, 2019). They are probably the future of packaging and potential replacement of the non-degradable plastics that are causing white pollution (Bishop et al., 2021). ![]() Papers are used as packaging materials due to their natural degradability and sustainable characteristics. Overall results confirmed the potential of the proposed EC-coated papers as a promising alternative to single-use plastics in food packaging. All the papers showed ultraviolet (UV)-resistance, while the coated papers were more transparent in the visible light region. EC coating considerably increased the tensile index, i.e., 13–17% for BP and 20–35% for WH, though elongation and modulus properties remained almost unchanged. Water drops were stable on the coated surfaces at least for 20 min and then were wiped off leaving a dry surface. The presence of EC significantly reduced the vapour transmission (22–30%) and moisture content (6–11%) of the papers. The morphology and chemical analysis of the coated papers confirmed the consistent formation of EC layer on paper surfaces. This study for the first time reports the impact of ethyl cellulose (EC) coating (∼10 μm) on paper surfaces. The resources were completely used, avoiding generation of any in-process biomass residue. ![]() This study proposes water-resistant yet biodegradable papers from naturally abundant wastes, such as banana plant (BP) and water hyacinth (WH) and validates their properties for practical packaging uses. in the past, water-resistant papers have been fabricated, but the natural degradability of the paper has been compensated. Though papers are replacing plastics in different sectors, their low water resistance limits their use in food packaging. Use of non-degradable plastics in food packaging is alarming for the environment as they are often thrown away after short consumption. ![]()
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