Tenax Adsorption Bench Protocols for Differentiating Saturated and Aromatic Mineral Oils
Tenax TA vapor capture combined with LC-GC-FID and chemical epoxidation provides defensible separation of volatile MOSH and MOAH fractions in paperboard.
C10 to C35 Hydrocarbons
Chemical Range
Chemical fractions derived from petroleum distillates represent a primary focus of migration testing in recycled paperboard materials. The group designated as c10 to c35 hydrocarbons includes both mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons and mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons that originate from printing inks. The boundary of this group is set by the boiling points of the respective linear alkanes.
Migration Risk
Volatility within this specific molecular weight bracket allows the hydrocarbons to bypass functional barriers that are not fully dense. When recycled paperboard is converted into dry food boxes, c10 to c35 hydrocarbons migrate from the recycled fibers across the air gap to contaminate the food. High temperature exposure during shipping or storage accelerates this transport.
Coatings applied at the size press or via off-line converters must resist the permeation of these specific carbon numbers to ensure the packaging is safe. A lack of proper protection leads to the contamination of dry goods.
Barrier Performance
Polymer coatings and continuous metalized films block the passage of these volatile residues. A thin layer of specialized barrier polymer stops the migration of c10 to c35 hydrocarbons over the shelf life of the packed product. Measurement of this barrier effectiveness is conducted using high temperature migration cells.
The test determines the packaging compliance.