Soft mechanical treatments of recycled fibers using a high-shear homogenizer for tissue and hygiene products

Comparison and assessment of methods for cellulose crystallinity determination

“…Therefore, an understanding of cellulose crystallinity is one of the most important requisites because crystallinity affects the physical, mechanical, chemical, and morphological properties of cellulose and its surface interaction with the surroundings and hence its use in a wide range of applications including, but not limited to, biomedicine, textiles, and electronics. [28][29][30][31][32][33][34] The crystallinity index (CI) is commonly used to measure the relative amount of the crystalline fraction of cellulosic materials and to quantify their modification following a variety of physicochemical and biological treatments. 8,31,[35][36][37][38][39][40] This parameter is based on a two-phase model of the material -namely a crystalline phase and an amorphous phase.…”

“…DH Am = hA o (32) Substituting DH Am value into eqn (31) yields the cellulose crystalline fraction. The authors reported that, the crystallinity values obtained by this method were higher than those obtained by the XRD technique.…”

Elucidation of Effectiveness of Dye Absorption as a Probe to Determine The Chemical Reactivity of Cellulose Nanofibrils

“…Cellulose, being the world's most abundant natural polymer, have garnered significant importance in the recent past as a sustainable material due to its renewability, recyclability and biodegradability. [1][2][3][4] Thus, the cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) is emerging as a potential candidate for materials science since it possesses astounding non-scalable mechanical properties, chemical tenability, biocompatibility and biodegradability, and its use in paper and tissue products, composites, membranes, flexible electronics, hygiene products, hydrogel and aerogels and so on. [5][6][7][8][9] Nevertheless, CNF is relatively intransigent, stable, and cannot be easily chemically manipulated, which consequently lead the researchers to come up with numerous efforts to overcome their chemical stubbornness resulting in chemically modified CNF having increased functionality which would diversify the scope of its use.…”

Developing Alternative, High-Absorbency Brown Fibers: Tissue Paper from Upcycled Corrugated Packaging Waste to Meet New Consumer Trends

“…Yet, there is another trend in the tissue paper industry that is increasingly gaining momentum and must be considered in the short term, which relates to the interest in unbleached fibers. − Based on the argument that bleaching is not required, the use of brown fibers has been progressively growing in commercial tissue products that claim to have a reduced environmental footprint and thus are labeled as “green”, “sustainable”, or “eco-friendly”. ,− Consumer perception also becomes crucial in this matter since there is a tendency to relate brown papers with sustainability. ,− The push for sustainability is a trend common to several industries, including energy, cosmetics, consumer goods, and paper and packaging. ,,− A number of corporations claim to be aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and implement more sustainable practices. − This evolution in corporate strategies arises in response to new consumer preferences that include more environmental awareness and willingness to pay a premium for products labeled as eco-friendly. ,,, …”

“…However, there are limitations inherent to the use of unbleached OCC for tissue paper applications. , Although it has been demonstrated that mechanical refining improves strength, the refined unbleached pulp shows a poor absorption rate and drainage when compared to bleached OCC and deinked pulps . Therefore, there is a need to develop suitable treatment methods that could help address these issues.…”