Use of amylose inclusion complexes to provide high value paper

Authors: Selling, Gordon; Hay, William; Fanta, George; Felker, Frederick; Rich, Joseph

Submitted to: Proceedings of American Chemical Society National Meeting
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/27/2019
Publication Date: 4/1/2019
Citation: Selling, G.W., Hay, W.T., Fanta, G.F., Felker, F.C., Rich, J.O. 2019. Use of amylose inclusion complexes to provide high value paper. Proceedings of American Chemical Society National Meeting, March 31-April 4, 2019, Orlando, FL. p. 256.

Interpretive Summary: In this research, we have discovered a novel route to make paper and cotton fabrics water resistant using corn starch based materials. There is a constant need for paper products that absorb water at a slower rate. Paper used in ink jet printing must absorb the water based ink at an optimum rate to provide the sharpest image. Paper plates or butcher paper require a high level of water resistance in order to be valued by the consumer. Silicon based reagents, which use non-renewable and non-hazardous chemicals, may be used to impart this attribute to paper. Providing cotton fabrics with water resistance is typically done using flurocarbon reagents (similar to Teflon(R)) which are also produced using non-renewable and non-hazardous chemicals. The technology developed here uses corn starch processed using a readily commercializable and inexpensive technique. The processed corn starch is then combined with an insoluble fatty ammonium salt, derived from vegetable oil, to form a water soluble complex that when applied to paper or cotton fabrics provides these materials with a water repelling characterization. The starch complex is much safer than incumbent technologies. This information provides a new route to produce valued water repellent articles using a safe, inexpensive, readily commercializable technology that will deliver a new revenue stream to corn producers and processors.

Technical Abstract: Amylose inclusion complexes were prepared from high amylose cornstarch and fatty ammonium salts. Solutions of the complexes were applied to paper at concentrations of 2–4%. The treated paper had increased hydrophobicity. If a sodium hydroxide solution was applied to the paper, the fatty amine complexes were converted to the insoluble amine form, rendering the paper much more hydrophobic. SEM showed that the complexes were uniformly deposited onto the paper with no visible particles. Increased resistance of papers to water penetration was indicated by an increase in the contact angles of water droplets from unmeasurable to as much as 113°, and by longer times for total absorption of the droplets. Treated papers also absorbed less water than untreated papers, with the amylose-hexadecylammonium chloride complex providing the greatest water resistance. Unlike other technologies used for rendering paper hydrophobic, the materials used for this novel method are water soluble, non-toxic, biobased, and biodegradable.