Application of All-Cellulosic Composites in Corrugated Board Products

There is a need for sustainable packaging materials to support global economic growth. This thesis studies the applicability of a fully cellulosic composite material, all-cellulose composites (ACCs) as corrugated board packaging material. In addition, this thesis was set to prove that the ACCs manufactured can be modelled through the Rule of Mixture (RoM) -model. ACCs have significant potential to bridge the mechanical performance gap between paper & board and plastic packaging.

ACCs were produced using various commercially available chemical pulps by partial dissolution method using a 70 w% aqueous zinc chloride (ZnCl2) solvent. Characterisation methods used for defining material performance, keeping especially corrugated board products in mind, were: scanning electron microscopy, tensile strength, two-point bending stiffness, concora medium test and short-span crush test.