A comprehensive study on nanocelluloses in papermaking: the influence of common additives on filler retention and paper strength

Abstract

Nanocelluloses are being explored and produced at an impressively increasing pace. Due to their good characteristics as reinforcement agent, their application in the most diverse fields has proven to be very beneficial. Their use in papermaking has been investigated in several studies, but the industrial implementation is still in a preliminary stage. In the present study, the influence of nanocelluloses, produced by four different treatments (mechanical, enzymatic hydrolysis, TEMPO-mediated oxidation and carboxymethylation) in the properties of filler-containing laboratory handsheets was assessed. Furthermore, five series produced with different additives, among internal strength and sizing agents as well as a retention agent, allowed to investigate the interactions between the common additives used in paper production and nanocelluloses. It was found that the different properties of the studied nanocelluloses led to very different interactions with the paper components. In this sense, by properly selecting the furnish to use (in terms of nanocellulose typology and presence or absence of each additive), high improvements of filler retention and dry and wet-web strength, as well as reduced surface roughness and water penetration, could be achieved.

Cellulose Nanofibril (CNF)-Coated PFAS-Free, Grease-Resistant All-Bio-Based Molded Pulp Containers for Food Packaging

“…The initial coating of the film without any external adhesive was poor, with areas of delamination. As most molded fiber trays are sized, for example, with alkyl ketene dimer (AKD) , or alkyl succinic anhydride (ASA), , to provide grease and water resistance, this comes as no surprise as these sizing agents will also prevent bonding by other components. In an effort to improve adhesion, a chitosan solution was supplied to provide an electrostatic attraction of CNF/CMC.…”

Sheet sealing in single and multilayer nanopapers

“…However, the sheet sealing behavior was completely different when a lower proportion of MNFC was used. For the furnishes with less than 20% MNFC content, the mixed furnishes dewatered faster because the high to improved strength, barrier, optical, and surface properties (Boufi et al 2017;Fang et al 2019;Balea et al 2020;Das et al 2020;Lourenço et al 2020). One of the main challenges for wider scale application of MNFC is poor water removal properties.…”

Cationized dialdehyde cellulose synthesized with deep eutectic-like solvents: Effects on sheet dewatering and mechanical properties when used as wet-end additive

“…Cationic polymers have been used for many different purposes in papermaking, including improving mechanical properties, fines retention, and water drainage (Tajik et al 2018;Lourenço et al 2020;Hashemzehi et al 2022). Cationic polyelectrolytes can neutralize the fiber surface charges by introducing attractive forces, such as bridging, or diminishing electrostatic repulsion, thus increasing the influence of van der Waals forces (Salmi et al 2007).…”