Fibers obtained from invasive alien plant species as a base material for paper production

Starešinič, Marica (author), Boh Podgornik, Bojana (author), Javoršek, Dejana (author), Leskovšek, Mirjam (author), Možina, Klemen (author)

Invasive alien plant species (IAPS) are one of the biggest challenges in European ecosystems, displacing local vegetation, destroying agricultural land, and causing billions of dollars of damage to the European economy every year. Many of them are removed daily and mainly burned. In this work, we investigated the possibilities of using plants as feedstock for paper production. Papers made from three invasive alien plants, i.e., Knotweed, Goldenrod, and Black locust, were studied and compared with commercial office paper. The study included testing of: (1) structural properties— basic physical properties, grammage, thickness, density and specific volume, moisture content, and ash content; (2) physical and dynamic mechanical properties—tensile strength, Clark stiffness, viscoelastic properties; (3) colorimetric properties of prints; (4) effect of UV light on ageing; and (5) study of cellulose fiber structure and morphology by microscopy. The results suggested that the paper produced can be used as commercial office paper, considering that the paper is slightly dyed. Such papers can also be used for special purposes that present a natural style and connection to nature. The papers produced can also be used for printing documents that are meant to be kept.

• Language: English
• Keywords: cellulose, paper, invasive alien plants, knotweeds, goldenrods, black locust, scanning electron microscopy, dynamic mechanical analysis
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: NTF - Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: 26 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 12, iss. 5, art. 527
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-135299
• UDC: 676
• ISSN on article: 1999-4907
• DOI: 10.3390/f12050527
• COBISS.SI-ID: 61591555
• Publication date in RUL: 07.03.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Forests
• Shortened title: Forests
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 1999-4907
• COBISS.SI-ID: 3872166

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 01.05.2021

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: celuloza, papir, invazivne tujerodne rastline, dresnik, zlata rozga, robinija, rastrska elektronska mikroskopija, dinamična mehanska analiza

Projects

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Funding programme: European Regional Development Fund, Urban Innovative Action
• Project number: UIA02-228
• Acronym: APPLUSE