Abstract
Paper pots are widely used in vegetable transplantation in agricultural cultivation and must have sufficient strength to withstand separation and mechanical works that occur during transplantation. Therefore, biodegradation owing to soil microorganisms during seedling growth must be inhibited. In this study, hydrolysis owing to cellulase was inhibited by applying an arbitray mixture of citric acid and sodium hypophosphite to paper and then heat-treating it. This inhibition of hydrolysis resulted from the formation of a cross-linked structure between the cellulose hydroxyl groups of the paper (wood pulp) and citric acid through ester bonds. The decay-resistant paper produced by this method will be useful as a base paper for the production of paper pots.
