Fluorescent whitening agents (FWAs) are important chemicals for improving the CIE whiteness and ISO brightness of papers. However, papermakers must reduce the amount of FWAs added to their products because FWAs present many disadvantages associated with the papermaking process, as well as paper quality; the public also has concerns about these chemicals in papers. Because the first step to reducing FWAs in the papermaking process is to improve their whitening effect, a new strategy for the effective use of FWA carrier chemicals must be developed. In this study, the whitening effects of tetra-sulpho FWA (T-FWA) and hexa-sulpho FWA (H-FWA) are compared in surface sizing, as well as with carrier chemicals. H-FWA showed a greater whitening effect than T-FWA in surface sizing, and carrier chemicals improved the optical properties of the paper when surface-sized with FWAs. It is concluded that carboxymethylcelluloses (CMCs) were a more effective carrier chemical for T-FWA; polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) is effective with H-FWA in the surfacesizing process to increase paper sheet whiteness.
Though potentially useful, agricultural byproducts are often discarded because of the lack of specific applications in many industries. However, they have suitable properties for use in the paper industry, according to recent literature. In this study, the suitability of rice husk, peanut husk, and garlic stem as raw materials for the manufacture of a new lignocellulosic bulking agent was investigated, and the best material to replace a commercial wood powder, widely used in Korean duplex board mills, was determined. Many powders were manufactured from agricultural byproducts, and their effects on the physical properties and drying energy requirements of handsheets were evaluated compared to those of a commercial wood powder. All of the powders improved the bulk and dryness after wet pressing, but a reduction in paper strength was unavoidable. In particular, the powder made from rice husk showed a greater bulk and increase in dryness after wet pressing than the commercial wood powder. These findings indicated that these three agricultural byproducts could be used as raw materials for the manufacture of bulking agents, and rice husk was the best agricultural byproduct to replace commercial wood powder in duplex board mills.
A multi-layer barrier coating technology was developed using nano-fibrillated cellulose (NFC) alongside a hydrophobic, paraffin-free biowax for manufacturing an eco-friendly functional packaging paper. Anionic NFC was prepared by isolating hardwood-bleached kraft pulp (Hw-BKP) using a micro-grinder, and cationic NFC was prepared by the quaternization reaction of the anionic NFC. Thereafter, a three-layer barrier-coated paper was manufactured using cationic and anionic NFCs and biowax. The air permeability and water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of the three-layer barrier-coated paper were measured, and its coverage and coating layer structure were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The air permeability of the three-layer barrier-coated paper was more than 15,000 s and those WVTR was 67.1 g/m2/day. Its coverage and surface were considerably uniform and smooth. Thick and effective barrier coating layers were formed as indicated by SEM images. Therefore, it was concluded that a multi-layer barrier-coated paper with considerably high barrier properties could be produced using cationic and anionic NFCs with high gas barrier properties and biowax with high moisture barrier properties. Further, the structure could be used as a functional packaging paper with high barrier properties.
An eco-friendly time indicator (TI) was developed using cellulose-based materials. The TI comprises a dye, copy paper, nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) film, and filter papers coated with NFC slurry and/or paraffin-free biowax. A suitable dye and its conditions were determined by observing the dye solutions and the migration pattern at the different concentrations. Commercial filter papers were prepared, and the dye migration rate, depending on physical properties, was evaluated. NFC was coated to control the dye migration rate of filter paper. In addition, biowax was used to impart hydrophobicity to filter papers used for supporting NFC films, storing the dye, and allowing the migration of dye. Finally, a TI was fabricated using those components. Methylene blue was selected as a dye for the TI due to its deep color and high solubility. The results showed that the key property of filter paper affecting the dye migration rate was the pore size. The migration rate could be reduced when NFC was coated on both sides of the filter paper. Since biowax modified the hydrophobicity of filter paper surface, it was used to make the NFC film-supporting paper, location for dye storage, and bottom-layer. In conclusion, a multilayered TI could be assembled using cellulose-based materials.
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