RESUMO
Waste paper is a major contributor to municipal and industrial waste, and its recycle and reuse are a current challenge. The aim of this research is to convert waste paper into value-added cellulose films through rapid dissolution in pre-cooled H2SO4 aqueous solution. Two types of waste paper, office paper and cardboard, could be dissolved within 210â¯s. The regenerated office paper films were transparent, and exhibited excellent mechanical properties (tensile strength: 77.55⯱â¯6.52â¯MPa, elongation at break: 2.67⯱â¯0.30 %, and Young's modulus: 5451.67⯱â¯705.23â¯MPa), which were comparable to those of cellulose films prepared from spruce pulp in the same solvent. The mixed paper films showed a dramatically reduced UV transmittance due to the existence of lignin. Moreover, the regenerated films were a promising matrix to load antimicrobial compounds, and thus inhibited the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, this work provides a convenient way to directly convert waste paper into biodegradable antimicrobial packaging materials.