Barrier Paperboard Substrate Selection and Wet End Disintegration Yield Testing
Aqueous dispersion barrier boards outperform extruded polyolefins by delivering over 95 percent wet end fiber yield and avoiding heavy EPR penalties.
Mass Balance Gravimetric
Analytical Basis
Analytical technique quantifies the amount of coating or residue applied to a substrate by measuring the weight difference before and after the application or extraction process. A mass balance gravimetric approach provides the most direct evidence of material deposition on paper or board. It defines the physical load of a substance independently of its chemical composition or functional properties.
Calculation Logic
Samples are conditioned in a climate controlled environment to ensure moisture content does not skew the results before the initial weighing takes place. Following the treatment or coating step the substrate is dried and weighed again under identical conditions. The difference represents the dry weight of the added layer which is then expressed as grams per square metre.
Precise scales with four or five decimal places are required to detect the thin films often used in food packaging barriers where even a microgram variation impacts the final calculation of the material load.
Application Limit
Volatile components that evaporate during the drying phase are not captured by this weighing method. It functions as the primary verification tool for wax pick tests and solvent extractables where the total amount of material removed is more important than identifying specific molecules. If the substrate itself loses weight through fibre loss the calculation becomes invalid.