Fabrication and Evaluation of Cellulose Containers from Rice Straw with Natural Coatings

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

M. Khoshdel ¹

S. J. Hashemi ¹

S. M. Zabihzadeh ²

R. Esmaeilzadeh Kenari ³

¹ Department of Biosystems Engineering, Sari University of Agricultural Science and Natural Resources

² Department of Wood and Paper, Sari University of Agricultural Science and Natural Resources

³ Department of Food Sciences & Technology, Sari University of Agricultural Science and Natural Resources

https://doi.org/10.22067/jam.2021.58650.0

Abstract

Introduction
The use of agricultural waste to produce biodegradable containers is an appropriate option to solve the problem of biomass accumulation resulting from the cultivation of crops such as rice. The highest amount of agricultural waste compared to the area under cultivation is related to wheat straw and rice straw, respectively. After wheat, rice is the most important agricultural product in human nutrition. According to the World Food Organization, the area under rice cultivation in the world is about 150 million hectares. The use of rice straw as a raw material for disposable cellulosic dishes can prevent straw residues in paddy fields, improve the deficiency of cellulosic raw materials, and reduce the use of plastic containers and the dangers thereof. Rice straw is a significant source for making cellulosic containers, but after making containers, hydrophobicity and microbial hazards can be among the problems of making these types of containers. The coating technique is one of the best solutions for resolving hydrophobicity and microbial problems. Coverage is very important and necessary to increase the shelf life of agricultural products and maintain their quality. Waxes are the best preventative methods against moisture and water vapor loss, and beeswax is one of the best edible waxes with these properties. The antibacterial properties of coatings with natural antioxidants will help solve the cellulose containers' problem. The main objectives of this study were to evaluate the endurance, hydrophobicity and antimicrobial activity of rice straw degradable cellulosic dishes.
Materials and Methods
In order to obtain the raw material for the manufacture of cellulosic dishes, the straw was digested with 10% and 20% sodium hydroxide, and then to weigh the hydrophobicity tests, tensile strength index and brightness, 120 Gr paper was made. Concentrations of 1, 2, 5 and 10% of the wax solution in ethanol solution were prepared and used as the first coating to improve the hydrophobicity. The nettle extract encapsulated with royal seed gum as the second coating to improve the antibacterial activity. Hydrophobicity and antimicrobial properties of the samples were measured and compared. The cup mold specimen was made of 2-piece steel and made using appropriate rice straw paste and coating with the appropriate concentration of the sample in disposable cellulose.
Results and Discussion
The results showed that increasing the amount of sodium hydroxide in baking conditions increased the tensile strength and the degree of clarity, but it had no effect on hydrophobicity. As the concentration of baking soda (sodium hydroxide) increases, so does the brightness. Increasing the concentration of sodium hydroxide increases the tensile strength, and the increase in tensile strength due to the increase in the percentage of sodium hydroxide can be due to the increase in the ability to form bonds between fibers due to the release of lignin. Honey wax with a 5% concentration was the most optimal coating for hydrophobic cellulose containers. With increasing wax concentrations in ethanol solvents from 1 to 10 percent, water absorption by the paper made from rice straw has decreased by approximately 93 percent. Adding royal seed gum and nettle extract has a positive effect on the diameter of the halo and has antimicrobial properties. Honey wax with 5% and 10% concentration with nano-encapsulated nettle extract with royal seed gum was selected as the most suitable coating to improve antibacterial activity.
Conclusion
Due to the characteristics of rice straw and the experiments shown, rice straw can be considered as a suitable alternative to oil resources in the production and usage of disposable tableware. Rice straw has the potential to be used as a cellulose source for the production of disposable containers, and honey wax with a 5% concentration and nano-encapsulated nettle extract can improve the hydrophobic and antimicrobial properties as the airtight coating of the dishes.

Keywords

Disposable dishes

Honey wax

Hydrophobic

Nettle

Rice straw

20.1001.1.22286829.1401.12.3.1.5

Subjects

• Structural and Material Engineering for Agricultural Systems

---

Open Access

©2021 The author(s). This article is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source.

References

1. Afhami, S., and P. Ahmadi. 2017. Use of Beeswax for Waterproofing and Stabilization of Poplar Dimensions in Home and Art Use. National Conference on Knowledge and Innovation in Wood and Paper Industry with Environmental Approach: Karaj.
2. Al ebrahim, E., M. Rafeian, B. Zamanzad, and F. Deris. 2019. Effect of Urtica dioica Extract on Three Dental Caries Bacteria in Vitro. Eighth International Green Gold Conference.
3. Alirezalo, K., S. Heydari, A. Barghol, and M. Shafaghi. 2019. Effect of Nettle Leaf Extract in Combination with Polysiline Epsilon on the Qualitative Characteristics of Beef Fillets During Storage. The Third International Congress and the 26^th National Congress of Food Science and Technology of Iran.
4. Besbes, S., C. Blecker, and C. Deroanne. 2004. Date seed oil: phenolic, tocopherol and sterol profiles. Journal of Food Lipids 11 (4): 251-265. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-4522.2004.01141.x
5. Blomstedt, M., and M. Mitikkae. 2007. Simplified modification of bleached softwood pulp with carboxymethyl cellulose. Appita: Technology, Innovation, Manufacturing, Environment 60 (4): 309-314.
6. Dehghan, B. E., and Z. Raftani Amiri. 2018. The effect of ginger and urban almonds on nanocapsule properties of orange peel essence. Food Science and Technology 15 (79): 157-169.
7. Gülçin, I., Öİ. Küfrevioǧl, M. Oktay, and ME. Büyükokuroǧlu. 2004. Antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiulcer and analgesic activities of nettle (Urtica dioica). Journal of Ethnopharmacology 90 (2-3): 205-215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2003.09.028
8. Heidari, R., N. Dolatabadzadeh, and J. Khalafi. 2004. Anthocyanin pigments of Siahe Sardasht grapes.
9. Hurter, R. W., and P. Eng. 1998. Will nonwoods become an important fiber resource for North America? Proceedings of the World Wood Summit: 31 August-2 Sept 1998.
10. Ivani, A., M. Safari, and A. Hedayatipoor. 2015. Comparison of direct planting methods of germinated rice (machine and manual) with transplanting. Journal of Agricultural Machinery 4 (1): 108-115. (In Persian). http://doi.org/10.22067/jam.v4i1.33172
11. Jafari, S. M., E. Assadpoor, and B. Bhandari. 2008. Encapsulation efficiency of food flavours and oils during spray drying. Drying Technology 26 (7): 816-835. https://doi.org/10.1080/07373930802135972
12. Jahanshahi, S., A. Abdulkhani, K. Doosthoseini, and A. Shakeri. 2016. Study of physical and mechanical properties of produced strawboard using bio epoxy tannins resin. Iranian Journal of Wood and Paper Industries 7 (2): 271-282.
13. Johansson, C., R. Beatson, and J. Saddler. 2000. Fate and influence of western red cedar extractives in mechanical pulping. Wood Science and Technology 34 (5): 389-401. https://doi.org/10.1007/s002260000051
14. Kamrani, A., A. Naghinejad, and F. Attar. 2011. Biodiversity and ethnobutane of medicinal flora of southern slopes of Alborz wetlands. National Conference on Medicinal Plants.
15. Karazhiyan, H., S. M. A. Razavi, G. O. Philips, Y. Fang, S. Al-Assaf, K. Nishinari. 2011. Physicochemical aspects of hydrocolloid extract from the seeds of Lepidium sativum. International Journal of Food Science & Technology 46 (5): 1066-1072. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.2011.02583.x
16. Kavalali, G. 2003. An introduction to Urtica (botanical aspects). In: Urtica. CRC Press: 17-27.
17. Latibari, A. 2012. Investigation of chemical-mechanical pulp production of wheat straw. Iranian Journal of Wood and Paper Sciences 26. (In Persian):
18. Li, X.-L., D.-L. Meng, J. Zhao, Y.-L. Yang. 2014. Determination of synthetic phenolic antioxidants in essence perfume by high performance liquid chromatography with vortex-assisted, cloud-point extraction using AEO-9. Chinese Chemical Letters 25 (8): 1198-1202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cclet.2014.03.005
19. Liang, C., H. Zhan, B. Li, S. Fu. 2011. Characterization of bamboo SCMP alkaline extractives and the effects on peroxide bleaching. BioResources 6 (2): 1484-1494.
20. Monfared, M., H. Resalati, R. Dashtbani, and A. Tatari. 2018. The effect of esterase on reduction of bitumen extractants in chemical-mechanical pulp (CMP) bleached and un bleached.
21. Mortazavian, A., M. Azizi, and S. Sohrabvandi. 2011. A Review on the Use of Edible Wrappers in Food. Journal of Food Science and Technology 7 (1).
22. Nazarnejad, N., M. Matani, and G. Asadpour. 2018. Effect of alum and chitosan on the structure of white water out of paper mesh and paper properties.
23. Nikkhah, F., F. Sefidkon, and E. Sharifi Ashoorabadi. 2009. The effect of distillation methods and plant growth stages on the essential oil content and composition of Thymus vulgaris Iranian Journal of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research 25 (3): 309-320. https://doi.org/10.22092/ijmapr.2009.7146
24. Niknejad, H., and A. Asgharian. 2015. Determination of antibacterial and antioxidant activity and identifying chemical compounds of Urtica dioica leaf essence as a potent antibacterial agent. Pajoohandeh Journal 20 (4): 234-239.
25. Phillips, G. O., and P. A. Williams. 2009. Handbook of hydrocolloids, Elsevier.
26. Razavizadeh, B. B. M., F. Khan Mohammadi, S. N. Azizi. 2014. Comparative study on properties of rice bran oil microcapsules prepared by spray drying and freeze drying. Research and Innovation in Food Science and Technology 3 (2): 97-114. https://doi.org/10.22101/jrifst.2014.08.23.321
27. Rowell, R. M. 1996. Opportunities for composites from agro-based resources, CRC Press Inc, Boca Raton, FL.
28. Sanuja, S., A. Agalya, M. J. Umapathy. 2015. Synthesis and characterization of zinc oxide–neem oil–chitosan bionanocomposite for food packaging application. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 74: 76-84.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2014.11.036
29. Shariat, E., H. Hoseyni, and A. Shariar. 2014. Antibacterial effect of aqueous extract of Urtica dioica on food spoilage bacteria. National Conference on Passive Defense in Agriculture.
30. Shegokar, R., and R. H. Müller. 2010. Nanocrystals: industrially feasible multifunctional formulation technology for poorly soluble actives. International Journal of Pharmaceutics 399 (1-2): 129-139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2010.07.044
31. Sjostrom, E. 1993. Wood chemistry: fundamentals and applications, Gulf professional publishing.
32. TAPPI test method – 1992-93 – TAPPI press
33. Vickers, N. J. 2017. Animal communication: when i’m calling you, will you answer too? Current biology 27(14): R713-R715. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.05.064
34. Von Bernuth, H. et al. 2008. Pyogenic bacterial infections in humans with MyD88 deficiency. Science 321(5889): 691-696. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1158298
35. World food situation, FAO cereal supply and demand brief. 2018. Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO). Available at: http://www.fao.org/world food situation/csdb/en/.
36. Van der Harst, E., J. Potting, C. Kroeze. 2014. Multiple data sets and modelling choices in a comparative LCA of disposable beverage cups. Science of the Total Environment 494: 129-143. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.06.084