Paper products such as corrugated paperboards are the most common green packaging materials, which are renewable, sustainable, recyclable and biodegradable. However, the plastic or metal straps used to secure the carton boxes are not so green. At the end of packaging, the carton boxes can be recycled, but the plastic/metal straps have to be sorted out for disposal separately. This review focuses on: 1) the global trend of green packaging; 2) conventional plastic/metal strapping materials for carton boxes; 3) conventional market pulp baling with steel wire as the tying materials; 4) cellulose fiber-based materials for strapping market pulp bales and carton boxes. New generation of cellulose paper straps are being developed for more challenging applications with superior strength properties and repulpability.

The concept of integrated forest biorefineries (IFBRs) has gained significant interest.The prehydrolysis kraft (PHK) dissolving pulp production process is a suitable example of IFBR concept for the production of dissolving pulp and utilization of dissolved hemicelluloses, acetic acid, and lignin in the prehydrolysis liquor (PHL).This review paper highlights recent progress related to the recovery and utilization of dissolved organics (e.g., hemicelluloses, acetic acid, and lignin) in the PHL of the PHK dissolving pulp production process.Integrated multi-step recovery and separation processes have been developed for this purpose to accommodate the complex nature of the PHL.Potential products, including xylan-based compounds, acetic acid, and lignin, are also discussed in detail.