EFFECT OF CHITOSAN ADDITION DURING PAPER-MAKING ON AGEING STABILITY OF DOCUMENT PAPER

The aim of the present work has been to study the influence of chitosan addition into the composition of paper intended for documents on its ageing stability, with a view of enhancing the resistance of paper strength and optical properties over time. The chitosan solution was added during the formation of the paper sheets in various amounts: 0.2%, 1% and 2% o.d.f. Paper samples of different fibrous compositions were prepared from bleached sulphate softwood pulp (BSWP) and bleached sulphate hardwood pulp (BHWP) in the following ratios: 50% BSWP:50% BHWP, 80% BSWP:20% BHWP, 100% BSWP and 100% BHWP. Then, paper samples were subjected to accelerated thermal ageing for 24 hours at 105 °C. It was found that the use of chitosan as additive in the composition of bleached cellulose paper samples led to improved strength and hygroscopic properties. The study showed that chitosan could be used in the production of kraft document papers comprising aluminium sulphate, as the presence of aluminium sulphate had no negative effect on the action of the biopolymer. Regarding the complex evaluation of the properties of the obtained papers, it could be summarized that, for the studied fibrous compositions, the optimum amount of the additive was 1% chitosan for a fibrous composition of 50% bleached softwood pulp and 50% bleached hardwood cellulose. Therefore, preparing document paper with the addition of chitosan is a convenient procedure to enhance a number of paper properties, even after the ageing process.

The paper-forming properties of hemp fire peroxide cellulose in combination with wood sulphate cellulose

Hemp fire (Cannabis sativa) was delignified with the reaction mix “acetic acid - hydrogen peroxide - sulfuric acid catalyst - water” under sulfuric acid concentration of 0.45%, liquid module of 6, and temperature of 85 ° C. The cellulose was ground to 34 … 36°SHR and mixed in different ratios in compliance with the simplex-centroid experimental design with bleached sulfate softwood and hardwood pulp. The influence of the mixed composition formulations on the main strength properties of paper castings has been studied. It has been concluded that technical cellulose obtained from hemp fire applying this method, can be used for paper products manufacturing in combination with sulphate cellulose from coniferous and deciduous wood.

Use of Sawdust- Biochar Amended Wood Pulp as A Substrate for Container Cultivation

Soilless substrates have many advantages over soil based system as they provide optimal conditions for plant growth when compared to soil-based agricultural practices. Different substrates are currently being used as support to the root system of plant. Substrates can be organic such as peat, bark, bagasse, sawdust, rice hulls, wood chips, etc. They can be inorganic mineral based such as sand, gravel, perlite, and stone wool slab. As the second phase of an earlier work by one of the authors on softboard as a novel wood fibre-based substrate for hydroponic systems, the present study was carried out to explore the effects of biochar amendment to wood pulps (or pulp wastes generated from fiberboard factories), on seed germination and seedling growth of Green gram (Phaseolus aureus) crop. The study also included a comparison of seedling growth in hardwood pulp and softwood pulp and to select the most suitable one for container cultivations. Keywords: Sawdust, biochar, wood pulp, green gram, container cultivation

Production of High-Yield Hardwood Pulp by Bisulfite Minimizing the Chlorine Content Cooking

The article presents the results of the development of a technological mode for obtaining bisulfite hardwood pulp of high yield on a magnesium base for the production of various types of containerboard. The reliable and effective chemical and heat recovery technology implemented in the bisulfite method allows to use it in independent sulfite process. The effect of the duration of stay at the final temperature on the pulp yield and kappa number was studied when developing the technological mode of cooking. It was found that the increase in the duration of stay at the final temperature of 160 °C more than 40 min leads to violations of the selectivity of the cooking process. Increasing the duration of stay at the final temperature up to 70 min is accompanied by a decrease in pulp yield by 6 % at a constant value of the kappa number of the semi-finished product. Technological cooking mode: hydromodule 5, SO2 consumption 15.0 %, cooking solution pH 4.3–4.5, impregnation time at 120 °C – 35 min, cooking duration at 160 °C – 40 min. The mode allows to get a semi-finished product with a high yield of 60–65 % with a kappa number of 58–60 units without a hot grinding stage. An assessment of the mechanical strength characteristics of the laboratory samples of bisulfite pulp was carried out in accordance with the standards of the Russian Federation. The obtained values of bursting strength, resistance to flat compression, breaking strength, and breaking stress were comparable with the values of the industrial sample of hardwood neutral sulfite semi-chemical pulp with a semi-finished product yield of 75–78 %. It is shown that the presence of bark in the technological chips in the amount of 7.5 % is accompanied by a decrease in the yield of bisulfite hardwood pulp by 4.5 % and mechanical strength by 7.8 %. For citation: Koroleva T.A., Milovidova L.A., Dryakhlitsyn A.A. Production of High-Yield Hardwood Pulp by Bisulfite Cooking. Lesnoy Zhurnal [Russian Forestry Journal], 2021, no. 3, pp. 161–169. DOI: 10.37482/0536-1036-2021-3-161-169

Effects of calcium silicate synthesized in situ on Fiber loading and paper properties

The in-situ synthesis of calcium silicate in the fiber can not only meet the requirements for high loading of paper, but also make up and improve the reduction of paper performance caused by filling. In this investigation, the effects of pulp type, beating degree, fiber ratio, reaction time, rotational speed, dosage of lime milk and dispersant on calcium silicate loading and paper properties were investigated. The results showed that when the beating degree was 40 °SR, the ratio of softwood and hardwood pulp was 1:1, the reaction time was 60 min, the rotation speed was 600 r·min−1, the dosage of lime milk was 1.33 times of the theoretical amount, and the dosage of cationic polyacrylamide was 0.3 % (absolutely dry pulp), the ash content of hand-made sheet was 41.2 %, and the loading amount of calcium silicate was 26.3 %. Under this condition, the comprehensive performance of paper was the best.

Hardwood kraft pulp fibre oxidation using acidic hydrogen peroxide

Gaining insight into the oxidation of hardwood kraft fibres using hydrogen peroxide at mildly acidic conditions was the main aim of this study. The oxidized hardwood pulp had an increased number of carbonyl groups and, when formed into sheets, an enhanced durability in water was seen due to the formation of cross-links, known as hemiacetals. The carbonyl groups formed were found to be mainly ketones with the exception of the case with longer reaction times (60–90 minutes) at 85 °C, where aldehydes were detected. Through compositional analysis it was found that mainly xylan was oxidized, likely due to the higher amount of xylan close to the surface of the fibre wall. The influence of xylan on the oxidation process was investigated using cold caustic extraction (CCE) performed prior to oxidation. When the CCE pulp was oxidized, there was an increased rate of introduced carbonyl groups and degradation was more pronounced. This is likely due to the accessible surface area being increased, caused by the formation of pores when the lower molecular weight xylan was being extracted during CCE.

THE INFLUENCE OF THE KNIFE METHOD OF GRINDING PULP ON THE PROCESS OF OBTAINING POWDERED CELLULOSE

This article presents the classification of the resulting types of powdered cellulosic materials, their scope, as well as the problems arising during production. The main properties of powder cellulose materials are considered. Analyzed the quality indicators of the pulp, previously ground in a disc mill. The main technological parameters of the experimental setup and the comparative characteristics of the used knife grinding sets are presented. In the course of the experimental research, knife grinding sets with straight and curved knives were used. The data obtained confirmed the previously put forward hypothesis about the predominant fibrillation of cellulose fiber milled using a grinding set with a curved blade shape. This feature of the headset design is especially important when grinding hardwood pulp, which has a lower initial value, compared to softwood pulp. The data obtained in determining the degree of grinding, water retention capacity, fiber length of softwood and hardwood cellulose after knife grinding and the degree of polymerization after hydrolysis are presented. A method for producing powdered cellulose material with characteristics similar to microcrystalline cellulose is considered. The regulated parameters of the hydrolysis process are set and a comparison is made of the degree of polymerization of the considered samples of powdered cellulose.

Full-field hygro-expansion characterization of single softwood and hardwood pulp fibers

The dimensional stability of paper products is a well-known problem, affecting multiple engineering applications. The macroscopic response of paper to moisture variations is governed by complex mechanisms originating in the material at all length-scales down to the fiber-level. Therefore, a recently-developed method, based on Global Digital Height Correlation of surface topographies is here exploited to measure the full-field hygro-expansion of single fibers, i. e. a surface strain tensor map over the full field of view is obtained as function of time. From the strain field, the longitudinal and transverse hygro-expansion and principle strains can be calculated. Long- and intermediate-duration dynamic tests are conducted on softwood and hardwood fibers. A large spread in the softwood fiber’s transverse and longitudinal hygro-expansion coefficient ratio was found, while hardwood fibers behave more consistently. Computing the principle strain ratios reduces this spread, as it takes into account the variations of the deformation direction, which is directly affected by the micro-fibril angle (MFA). Furthermore, long-duration tests allow identification of the half-times at which the fibers equilibrate. Finally, the determined major strain angles for all fibers are consistent with the MFA ranges reported in the literature.

Production of a fine fraction using micro-perforated screens

The objective for this work was to investigate the possibility to use a pressure screen equipped with a micro-perforated screen basket to produce a fine fraction from bleached chemical pulp. Trials were performed with unrefined bleached chemical hardwood pulp, and with unrefined and refined bleached chemical softwood pulp. The effect of feed concentration, feed flow, and volumetric fine fraction flow was evaluated. The difference between the fine fraction (i. e. the particles passing the screen) and the feed was analysed by studying the fibre morphology. The results showed that high feed concentration was positive for both the fine fraction concentration and the separation efficiency. A higher fine fraction concentration was also obtained when using hardwood pulp, which was explained by the shorter fibre length. Refining of the pulp prior to the fractionation proved beneficial, as a larger share of the refined pulp passed the screen, resulting in a twice as high concentration of the fine fraction when compared to unrefined pulp.