PRODUCTION OF ANTIBACTERIAL FILTER PAPER FROM WOOD CELLULOSE

Abstract

Paper has a visible market-share in hygiene products either in the form of personal hygiene or as food packaging. The designation “hygiene”, though it suggests cleanliness, does not imply antibacterial properties; rather it can be stated that hygiene products do not initiate microorganism growth. Antibacterial products could restrict propagation of pathogenic bacteria either by holding bacteria or by trapping and neutralizing them. Most research in this field has been conducted using textile fibers as a substrate, but the present work uses paper instead. The objective was to produce an antibacterial filter paper capable of trapping and neutralizing pathogenic microorganisms using wood fibers. To produce antibacterial paper, chitosan and nanosilver capped with PAA (polyacrylic acid) were deposited on the fiber surface using a layer-by-layer technique. Samples for the tests were prepared from refined bleached softwood (RBSW) kraft pulp. The deposition of antibacterial agents on fiber as well as paper were monitored using a zeta potential analyzer (ZPA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIRS). The minimum requirement for deposition of the agents was a multilayer comprised of eight alternating layers. The deposition onto fiber or paper had no effect on tensile strength or the pore structure of the substrate.

Keywords

• Facemask
• Antibacterial
• Pathogen
• SARS
• Toxic