Impact of Three Natural Oily Extracts as Pulp Additives on the Mechanical, Optical, and Antifungal Properties of Paper Sheets Made from Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Meryta sinclairii Wood Branches

Abstract

In the pulp and paper industry, several studies have been done to improve and enhance the properties of the mechanical, optical, and antimicrobial activities of pulp produced with different additives. In the present study, pulp of wood branches (WBs) from Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. and Meryta sinclairii (Hook.f.) Seem. was treated with n-hexane oily extracts (HeOE) from Melia azedarach L. fruits, Magnolia grandiflora L. leaves, and Sinapis alba L. seeds as additives at concentrations of 1%, 3%, and 5% based on oven-dry pulp weight. Measured mechanical properties were higher in paper sheets made from E. camaldulensis than M. sinclairii WB pulp. The highest tensile index values were observed with E. camaldulensis WB pulp treated with 5% HeOEs of S. alba (33.90 N·m/g) and M. grandiflora (33.76 N·m/g) compared to control (32.10 N·m/g); the highest tear index with 5% HeOE of S. alba (4.11 mN·m2/g) compared to control (3.32 mN·m2/g); and the highest burst index with 5% HeOE of S. alba (4.11 kPa·m2/g) compared to control (3.08 kPa·m2/g). The highest double-fold number value (9) was observed with E. camaldulensis WB pulp treated with 5% HeOEs of S. alba, M. azedarach, and M. grandiflora but with no significant difference compared to control treatment (8.33) or other HeOE treatments with E. camaldulensis WB pulp. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) examination showed clear inhibition of the growth of Aspergillus terreus with WB pulp paper discs of E. camaldulensis and M. sinclairii treated with HeOEs of M. azedarach, S. alba, and M. grandiflora at 3% and 5% compared to control treatment, while HeOEs at 5% concentration showed no growth of A. niger and A. terreus. The present findings establish that the HeOEs from M. azedarach, S. alba, and M. grandiflora at 3% and 5% are novel natural products that can be used as alternatives to improve the properties and antifungal activity of WB pulp produced from E. camaldulensis and M. sinclairii.

Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Citrus aurantium, and Citrus sinensis Essential Oils as Antifungal Activity against Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus terreus, and Fusarium culmorum

“…To control fungal growth, biosynthesis of mycotoxin, and food contamination, three main approaches (physical, biological, and chemical treatments) were recognized and used against mycotoxigenic fungi [7,23,[38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45]. The crude EO was more effective than the major compounds, for example, the EO extracted from some Eucalyptus species such as C. camaldulensis was more active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa than the major constituents such as α-pinene, 1,8-cineole, and p-cymene [46].…”

New Approach for Using of Mentha longifolia L. and Citrus reticulata L. Essential Oils as Wood-Biofungicides: GC-MS, SEM, and MNDO Quantum Chemical Studies

“…Scanning electron microscope (SEM) examination was used to show the fungal growth on P. roxburghii wood samples that were treated and untreated with oils and inoculated with each of the four molds using the JFC-1100E ion sputtering device (model JSM-5300, JEOL, Tokyo, Japan) at 8 kV [ 8 , 9 , 11 , 51 ].…”

“…Fungi such as Aspergillus niger , A. flavus , A. fumigatus , Alternaria tenuissima , Colletotrichum gloeosporioides , Fusarium culmorum , Penicillium chrysogenum , Rhizoctonia solani , and Trichoderma harzianum are capable of growing upon a wide range of organic substrates of wood, lignocellulosic materials, and food, which can lead to the deterioration of stored food materials or the discoloration of wood or paper substances [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Essential oils (EOs)—aromatic substances—can be obtained from different plant parts such as leaves, flowers, seeds, fruits, bark, wood, and roots by extraction using steam or hydrodistillation.…”

Antifungal potential of three natural oils and their effects on the thermogravimetric and chromatic behaviors when applied to historical paper and various commercial paper sheets

“…Fungi are the main deterioration agents for wood, wood products, paper, historical manuscripts, leathers, and other heritage artifacts. They degrade the polysaccharide components and cause cell wall degradation or discoloration of organic materials (da Silva et al 2006;Zyani et al 2009;Sequeira et al 2014;Hassan and Mansour 2018;Abo Elgat et al 2020a;Hassan et al 2020a;Mansour et al 2020a;Mansour et al 2020b;Salem et al 2020a). Most of these fungi, including Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium chrysogenum, cause damage to historical papers in practice (Ljaljević-Grbić et al 2013;Pinheiro et al 2019).…”