Production of Oxidized Guar Galactomannan and Its Applications in the Paper Industry

摘要

Guar is a readily available galactomannan that can be selectively oxidized using the enzyme galactose oxidase. Application of oxidized guar as a wet-end additive in paper-making results in improved strength properties due to acetal and hemi-acetal bonding of the aldehyde groups in oxidized guar with cellulose. Until recently the availability and price of galactose oxidase prevented the development of an economically viable process for the production of oxidized guar. This chapter focuses on galactose oxidase production, the multi-enzyme approach used to produce oxidized guar and examples of potential applications in the paper industry.