Compression molded cellulose fiber foams

Glenn, Gregory M.; Orts, William J.; Klamczynski, Artur; Shogren, Randall; Hart‐Cooper, William M.; Wood, Delilah; Lee, Charles; Chiou, Bor-Sen

doi:10.1007/s10570-023-05111-0

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 38 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A foam that is compostable and recyclable can be made from aqueous cellulose fiber suspensions using a foaming agent [31,32]. Recently, a compostable foam made from cellulose fiber with excellent insulative properties was described that could be compression molded into distinct shapes or large panels needed for internal packaging [33]. However, by themselves, these fiber foams do not have the compressive strength or toughness that may be needed for many internal packaging applications [33,34].…”

Section: Of 17mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, a compostable foam made from cellulose fiber with excellent insulative properties was described that could be compression molded into distinct shapes or large panels needed for internal packaging [33]. However, by themselves, these fiber foams do not have the compressive strength or toughness that may be needed for many internal packaging applications [33,34]. Starch has been used to make biopolymer blends with excellent strength and toughness [35].…”

Section: Of 17mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A low-moisture fiber foam formulation without starch (FF-S) was developed based on prior research (Table 1) [33]. The pulped fiber was prepared by first weighing the appropriate amount of pulp fiber (Table 1) and placing it in a blender containing approximately 2 L of warm (60 • C) tap water.…”

Section: Foam Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The mold assembly consisted of upper and lower porous platen assemblies, as described previously [33]. The volume of the mold cavity was calculated from dimensional measurements.…”

Section: Compression Moldingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The paperboard elements were then carefully pressed into the foam in a prescribed pattern (Figure 1). The remaining quantity of foam was spread on top of the paperboard elements, and the upper platen was lowered, which compressed the foam, causing it to flow and fill any voids as previously described [33]. The intact platen assembly was placed in an oven for drying.…”

Section: Compression Moldingmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Effect of Starch and Paperboard Reinforcing Structures on Insulative Fiber Foam Composites

Glenn,

Tonoli,

Silva

et al. 2024

Polymers

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Single-use plastic foams are used extensively as interior packaging to insulate and protect items during shipment but have come under increasing scrutiny due to the volume sent to landfills and their negative impact on the environment. Insulative compression molded cellulose fiber foams could be a viable alternative, but they do not have the mechanical strength of plastic foams. To address this issue, a novel approach was used that combined the insulative properties of cellulose fiber foams, a binder (starch), and three different reinforcing paperboard elements (angular, cylindrical, and grid) to make low-density foam composites with excellent mechanical strength. Compression molded foams and composites had a consistent thickness and a smooth, flat finish. Respirometry tests showed the fiber foams mineralized in the range of 37 to 49% over a 46 d testing period. All of the samples had relatively low density (Dd) and thermal conductivity (TC). The Dd of samples ranged from 33.1 to 64.9 kg/m3, and TC ranged from 0.039 to 0.049 W/mk. The addition of starch to the fiber foam (FF+S) and composites not only increased Dd, drying time (Td), and TC by an average of 18%, 55%, and 5.5%, respectively, but also dramatically increased the mechanical strength. The FF+S foam and paperboard composites had 240% and 350% higher average flexural strength (σfM) and modulus (Ef), respectively, than the FF-S composites. The FF-S grid composite and all the FF+S foam and composite samples had equal or higher σfM than EPS foam. Additionally, FF+S foam and paperboard composites had 187% and 354% higher average compression strength (CS) and modulus (Ec), respectively, than the FF-S foam and composites. All the paperboard composites for both FF+S and FF-S samples had comparable or higher CS, but only the FF+S cylinder and grid samples had greater toughness (Ωc) than EPS foam. Fiber foams and foam composites are compatible with existing paper recycling streams and show promise as a biodegradable, insulative alternative to EPS foam internal packaging.

show abstract

Section: Of 17mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Of 17mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Foam Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The mold assembly consisted of upper and lower porous platen assemblies, as described previously [33]. The volume of the mold cavity was calculated from dimensional measurements.…”

Section: Compression Moldingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Compression Moldingmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Effect of Starch and Paperboard Reinforcing Structures on Insulative Fiber Foam Composites

Glenn,

Tonoli,

Silva

et al. 2024

Polymers

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Bio‐Based Foams to Function as Future Plastic Substitutes by Biomimicry: Inducing Hydrophobicity with Lignin

Miranda‐Valdez,

Mäkinen,

et al. 2024

Adv Eng Mater

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

To replace common plastics, bio‐based alternatives are needed. Cellulose foams, as plant‐based materials, are the most attractive solution, being often biodegradable and inexpensive and having the potential for distributed production. Cellulose and its derivatives, as raw materials, present a fundamental challenge, as they are hydrophilic. Herein, this problem is solved by drawing inspiration from the hydrophobic barrier that lignin creates in wood and applying lignin to methylcellulose (MC) foams. The lignin (0.0–1.0 wt% being the range studied here) is applied directly to the suspension consisting of water and MC (1.8 wt%), which is then foamed and solidified to a dry 3D porous structure. By comparing different types of lignin and the resulting surface morphologies, it is shown that organosolv lignin (OL) most strongly self‐assembles to the air–foam interfaces, achieving area fractions up to 27%. Using different concentrations of OL, how hydrophobicity—described by the initial water contact angle and its time evolution—increases with increasing lignin concentration is then shown. Thus, significantly increased water resistance (up to 91 times higher compared to the pure MC foam), a crucial property for developing novel bio‐based materials that can compete with traditional plastics, is able to be achieved.

show abstract

Pressure-mediated reconstruction of hydrogen bonding networks under ambient temperature towards high-strength cellulosic bulk materials

Liang,

Guo,

Yan

et al. 2024

Cellulose

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Compression molded cellulose fiber foams

Cited by 5 publications

References 38 publications

Effect of Starch and Paperboard Reinforcing Structures on Insulative Fiber Foam Composites

Effect of Starch and Paperboard Reinforcing Structures on Insulative Fiber Foam Composites

Bio‐Based Foams to Function as Future Plastic Substitutes by Biomimicry: Inducing Hydrophobicity with Lignin

Pressure-mediated reconstruction of hydrogen bonding networks under ambient temperature towards high-strength cellulosic bulk materials

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About