Kondor, Anett, Cattaneo, Damiano, Ahmed, Sabiyah, Garcia, Armando, Burnett, Daniel J., and Williams, Daryl
INTRODUCTION: It is well known that the raw material and processing have effect on the properties of the final product, including the surface properties such as surface energetics, acid-base properties, water sorption. It is also challenging to measure those differences. Spectroscopic techniques will normally yield analytical information on solid state materials such as what is present, where is it present and how much is present. This data contains little, if any, thermodynamic information. Sorption techniques are able to determine surface thermodynamic and related physicochemical information about solid surfaces. This study compares the surface energy and water sorption uptakes of commercially available bathroom tissues (recycled, pure cotton and mixed fiber-based tissues), in order to demonstrate the effect of raw material and the processing on the surface properties. MATERIALS: Bathroom tissues have characteristics that optimize their application to absorb water. Their surface topography enhances their elasticity and maximize their absorbance. These properties modify the surface heterogeneity. With the increasing awareness of the importance to protect the environment, manufacturing companies are developing more environmentally responsible blends of components to create their product. The main component of tissue paper is wood pulp fibers. To increase sustainability, the pulp can be blended with recycled paper or alternative fibers. Alternative fibers can include bamboo, sugar cane or agricultural waste. Blended composites increase tissue biodegradability and effects wettability, allowing the paper to break down quicker than its non-blended alternative. This study compares the surface chemistry, water sorption uptakes and the accessible hydroxyl groups on the surface of four commercially available bathroom tissues (an industrial UK toilet tissue, a recycled toilet paper - made from 100% recycled paper and sustainably sourced -, one with pure cotton fiber and an Asian Industrial toilet paper) [1]. SORPTION TECHNIQUES: Sorption techniques use vapor phase molecules as molecular probes for studying, in detail, gas-solid interactions, which provides surface thermodynamic and related physicochemical information about solid surfaces. The two main characterization techniques in current usage that use molecular vapor sorption approaches for characterizing solid state materials are dynamic vapor sorption (DVS) and inverse gas chromatography (iGC). Inverse Gas Chromatography Surface Energy Analyzer (IGC-SEA) was used to measure the BET specific surface area, surface energetics, acid-base properties of the bathroom tissues. DVS-Resolution instrument was applied to determine the water sorption uptake and the accessible hydroxyl groups on the surface of the samples using D/H exchange. In the iGC analysis, the probe molecules only screen the surface therefore the technique is sensitive and can be used to quantify the subtle differences in surface chemistry. In comparison, bulk sorption is the major factor affecting data collection under these conditions when using the DVS instrumentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]