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Smart, environmentally friendly alternatives, i.e., frankincense and rice starch, are recommended for usage in modern paper conservation processes during the re-sizing process treatments. Different concentrations of frankincense and rice starch were applied to paper samples before and after ageing. Multiple analysis methods were performed to ensure the effectiveness of these materials. Promising results were found, but at varying degrees according to the type and concentration of the materials. Scanning electron microscopy illustrated that the frankincense particles were completely absorbed into the cell walls after ageing. Results indicated that there was no considerable change in pH before and after treatment or ageing; the best results for decreasing the acidity utilized a treatment with a mixture of frankincense and rice starch in a 2 to 1 ratio (F2S1). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy illustrated an increased CH2 region and decreased OH stretching as a result of the bonds formed from the starch and crystals formed by frankincense, which agreed with the increased coating and strength of the paper fibers. The total color change values of all the treated samples after ageing were less than 4.5. Frankincense was found to provide strength in supporting wood fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, paper was rendered antimicrobial via applying antimicrobialmodified starch as a coating material onto the paper's surface. The antimicrobial starch was prepared by covalently bonding guanidine polymers using a coupling reaction. Two different coating layers were applied onto the paper's surface. The first coating layer contained clay mixed with a latex binder (clay 100 g/latex 20 g). The antimicrobial starches, which possessed different grafting ratios of the antimicrobial agent (30 wt.% and 50 wt.%), were applied as the second coating layer on the paper. The results showed that the coating thickness was approximately constant at 4 µm. In the presence of 0.5 to 1.0 wt.% antimicrobial starch on cellulose fibers, the growth inhibition of bacteria was almost 100%. Additionally, the resulting coated paper exhibited high antimicrobial activities against E. coli. Furthermore, the results showed that the coated papers prevented fungal growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]