"PROTEINS TO DISRUPT HYDROGEN-BONDING BETWEEN NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC POLYMERS"
Inventor: D.J. Cosgrove
PSU Invention Disclosure No.
1216
A
novel class of proteins has been identified and characterized that has the
ability to weaken the hydrogen bonding between polysaccharides, such as
cellulose fibers, within the plant cell wall.
By
modifying the hydrogen bonding of polysaccharides, these proteins could be used
to modify the physical characteristics of commercial products containing
polysaccharides. Thus, these proteins
may offer a means to control the stiffness, texture and mechanical strength of
paper products. Experiments have also
shown that these proteins, at very low concentrations, can weaken commercial
papers, including slick paper from magazines and catalogs, which are difficult
to disrupt in current commercial recycling processes. They do so without hydrolytic degradation of cellulose fibers.
The inventor also believes that these proteins may be used to disrupt the bonding between plant fibers during the production of paper pulp. The proteins are nontoxic, environmentally innocuous and could substitute for harsh chemical treatments currently used. The protein acts at moderate temperatures and in mild chemical environments. In addition to possibly reducing the financial and environmental costs associated with the disposal of these harsh chemicals, the use of the proteins may result in higher quality plant fibers because the fiber would be less degraded than fibers currently obtained by harsher treatments.