The Role of Nonwood Fines Constituents on Pulp and Paper Properties, 2007 Engineering, Pulping & Environmental Conference

Please Note: This document will be available in PDF format in the "My Electronic Documents" link on the home page once your order has been completed. Please make sure you have the latest version of Acrobat Reader. Click on the Acrobat Reader icon to check for the latest version, it’s FREE. To print a hardcopy of a PDF file correctly you must have a postscript printer. If you are not sure if your printer is a postscript printer please refer to your owner’s manual.

The effect of wheat straw fines on pulp and paper properties was studied. The aim of the study was to find out (1) what is the optimal fines amount in the pulp and (2) how the quality of fines affect pulp and paper properties. The study used wheat straw as raw material. Delignification was conducted using a formic acid based cooking method. Fines were separated from the pulp and further fractionated into three classes based on the size of the particles. The sizes, particle dimensions, and chemical compositions of these fractions were analyzed. Paper sheets produced using different proportions of these fines were prepared and analyzed. It was found that the quality of fines primarily affected dewatering properties: reduction of the finest fines improved pulp dewatering tenfold in comparison with reductions in other fines sizes. Reduction of all fines types improved pulp brightness, shade, and tear strength. Removal of fines did not significantly affect tensile strength properties. It was concluded that reduction of the finest fines is strongly recommended, due to significant improvements in dewatering properties without detriment to other properties, and with minimal effect on total yield.