Value added of mulberry paper waste by carboxymethylation for preparation a packaging film

Abstract

Cellulose from mulberry paper waste was converted to carboxymethyl cellulose (CMCm) by etherification using chloroacetic acid and various sodium hydroxide (NaOH) concentrations (30-60 g/100 mL). The degree of substitution of the various CMCm materials produced ranged between 0.33-0.45. The chemical structure of cellulose and the synthesized CMCm materials was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. CMCm films were cast and tested. The tensile strength (TS) and percent elongation at break (EB) of the films were investigated. The highest TS (32.58 MPa) and EB (2.39%) were found using the 50g /100 mL NaOH-synthesized CMCm film. The effect of glycerol as a plasticizer on TS and EB of this CMCm film was also evaluated. Increasing the glycerol content decreased TS and increased EB of the CMCm films.