Pine needles lignocellulosic ethylene scavenging paper impregnated with nanozeolite for active packaging applications

The pines needle falls approximately 2-3 ha(-1) year(-1) on the forest floors resulting in a considerable amount of lignocellulosic biowaste. The present study aimed to develop pine needles based lignocellulosic active paper and investigate the effect of 5, 20, and 30% (v/w) nano zeolite addition on the physical, mechanical, and micro structural property of the papers. The developed papers were characterized by scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, and X-ray diffraction. As the zeolite concentration was increased from 5% to 30% in the paper, enhanced water permeability was seen from 5.18 +/- 0.34 3.88 +/- 0.33 g/cm(2)/day (PN/ZL 30% paper). The addition of 5% zeolite increased the tensile and burst strength from 19.53 +/- 3.53 Nm/g and 3.63 +/- 0.23 kg/cm(2), respectively. The porosity was increased from 340 +/- 20 to 1170 +/- 60, and Cobb value increased from 338.3 +/- 1.5-406.7 +/- 1.5 g/m(2). The alterations in terms of surface microstructure in the paper with 20, 30% zeolite were noticed whereas XRD illustrated the high compatibility among the lignocellulosic network of pines and zeolite. The pine needle paper with 30% zeolite possessed remarkable ethylene scavenging properties (62%), opening a way to valorize pine needle waste for food packaging application.

Automated summary

The study developed pine needles based lignocellulosic active paper and found that the addition of nano zeolite can enhance water permeability, mechanical strength, and affect the microstructure of the papers. Pine needle paper with 30% zeolite exhibited remarkable ethylene scavenging properties, making it suitable for food packaging applications.