Study on the manufacture of ethylene gas absorbing corrugated board

Abstract

Ethylene gas is a natural hormone that directly affects the freshness of agricultural products, so it is very important for the maintenance of freshness to remove ethylene gas from corrugated board boxes. Many methods for the removal of this and other gases have been reported. In this study, the utilization of an absorbent using activated carbon was adopted for the removal of ethylene gas from a corrugated board box. Activated carbon powders were prepared by grinding in a laboratory and were used to treat the surface and to laminate paperboards with a starch solution. The ethylene gas absorption was evaluated by using a gas chromatography to measure the residual ethylene gas concentration. About 60% of the ethylene gas was absorbed by the activated carbon itself. However, the paperboards that were surface-treated and laminated with starch and activated carbon showed lower than 20% ethylene gas absorption. This was because the starch and smaller particles of activated carbon blocked the surface pores of activated carbon particles. Therefore, either the use of the binders must be minimized for the surface treatment of paperboards, or activated carbon packs can be used as absorbents in corrugated boxes. ? 2016, Korean Technical Assoc. of the Pulp and Paper Industry. All rights reserved.