Effect of Fiber Loading on Paper Properties
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EFFECT OF FIBER LOADING ON loading, a method for manufacturing calcium carbonate during PAPER PROPERTIES the refining process, was reported (4–6). The benefits reported include using carbon dioxide from stack gases as a chemical John H. Klungness Freya Tan reactant, extending our fiber resource by substituting low-cost Chemical Engineer Chemical Engineer filler for more expensive fiber at a higher level than possible Marguerite S. Sykes Said Abubakr with conventional methods, retaining filler during recycling Forest Products Technologist Super. Chemical Engineer which minimizes sludge, and improving brightness and color USDA Forest Service USDA Forest Service of the finished paper. Forest Products Laboratory 1 Forest Products Laboratory Madison, WI 53705-2398 Madison, WI 53705-2398 Initial reported experiments were done on handsheet scale. This paper also reports results of handsheet experiments. However, Jacob D. Eisenwasser our experiments were prompted by results of semicommercial- Manager of Development Projects scale trials using fiber-loaded pulp. Semicommercial trials Liquid Carbonic Industries often reveal aspects of proposed industrial technology that can- Chicago, IL not be revealed in handsheet-scale experiments, Fiber-loading experiments were conducted on industrial-scale ABSTRACT equipment simultaneously using an atmospheric high consis- tency refiner as a mixer and refiner, followed by high consis- tency pressurized refining under carbon dioxide pressure. The This study examined the effect on paper properties of fiber- pulp was processed at Sunds Defibrator stock preparation pilot loaded calcium carbonate compared with conventionally plant in Sundsvall, Sweden. After the fiber loading, the pulp directly loaded calcium carbonate. Research in this area has was processed on a pilot-scale papermachine at the University developed the basic technology for a process of precipitating of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), and loading calcium carbonate within and on papermaking fi- with a conventional direct-loaded calcium carbonate control. bers. Scale-up from handsheet to semicommercial scale revealed some technical obstacles. Changes in color and brightness, Results of these experiments showed that fiber loading could dimensional stability, retention aid demand, and apparent be accomplished without process problems using conventional density were the focus of this study. These problems were stock preparation equipment. Also, the resulting fiber-loaded duplicated in the laboratory, and methods for preventing or over- pulp could be processed into paper using conventional paper- coming the obstacles were developed. Fiber loading offers a making techniques. However, we did observe differences in the practical processing method to decrease the cost of calcium car- finished paper with respect to the control, which prompted the bonate production and substitute more filler for fiber in the pro- investigation reported in this paper. duction of printing and writing papers. We observed a slightly more yellow and less bright paper than the control. We also noted that the sheet lost about 50 mm on a 635-mm width compared to the control. The fiber-loaded sheet INTRODUCTION lost a few percentage points in filler retention compared with the control. And, we observed about a 10% loss in apparent Benefits of processing wood fiber pulp so that inorganic paper- density with the fiber-loaded paper, as we had also noted in the making fillers are forced into the interior of wood pulps were handsheet studies. reported in previous publications (1-3). Recently, fiber Conditions of the semicommercial trials were duplicated in the laboratory on handsheet scale to explain the problems and develop methods for overcoming the differences between 1 The Forest Products Laboratory is maintained in cooperation paper made with fiber-loaded pulp and that made with conven- with the University of Wisconsin. This article was written and tional direct-loaded pulp. prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and it is therefore in the public domain and not subject to copyright. We report results on the following: Color and brightness The use of trade or firm names in this publication is for reader Dimensional stability information and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. De- Filler retention partment of Agriculture of any product or service. Apparent density 1995 Papermakers Conference / 533 EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE feed tank to react with the calcium hydroxide in the pulp. Carbon dioxide was held in the tank for 15 min at 138 kPa. Materials During this interval, calcium carbonate was precipitated in and on the pulp fibers. The pulp was then dispersed in a carbon Bleached hardwood kraft wet-lap pulps were obtained from dioxide atmosphere at the desired plate gap and feed rate to Potlatch Corp. and MoDo Cellkraft AB. The Potlatch pulp was provide intimate contact of the carbonate and fibers. mainly aspen, and the MoDo pulp mainly birch. The Potlatch pulp was a fully bleached kraft pulp. The bleach sequence was Direct-loading procedure. ECF, and the bleached pulp essentially lignin free. The MoDo pulp was bleached by a TCF method that resulted in some An appropriate excess amount of reagent grade calcium car- residual lignin. The pulps were refined when needed in a disc bonate was added directly into the low consistency pulp slurry refiner under atmospheric conditions at the USDA Forest in the doler tank during handsheet preparation to match the Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin, for paper ash level of fiber-loaded handsheets. Adequate mixing in subsequent fiber-loading experiments. Reagent grade calcium the doler tank ensured uniform distribution of the carbonate prior hydroxide used for most experimental work was obtained from to making handsheets. Aldrich Chemical Company. Papermaker-quality precipitated calcium carbonate obtained from Speciality Minerals was used Pulp and Paper Tests for the direct-loading experiments. Handsheets (60 g/m2) were prepared according to Tappi Method A commercial, dual polymer retention aid treatment was used T 205. Ash content of handsheets was assessed by Tappi Method to evaluate the effect of filler type on retention. A high molecu- T 211. Retention levels of filler and total fines were determined lar weight anionic flocculating agent, Nalco 625, together with using a Britt Drainage Jar. Burst was measured according to a low molecular weight cationic retention aid, Nalco 7607, were Tappi Method T 403. Sheet density was determined according used in combination for filler retention. A commercial cationic to Tappi Method T 220. Tear and tensile indices were measured potato starch was used as an additive for restoring strength to according to Tappi Methods T 414 and T 494, respectively. handsheets as indicated. Optical properties were evaluated on a Technidyne photometer using Tappi Method T 525 for brightness and scattering coeffi- Equipment cient. Dimensional stability was measured using the apparatus described by Gunderson (7). Relative humidity was varied from A bench model three-speed Hobart food mixer with a 76-L stain- 50% to 90%, and the percentage change in length was reported less steel bowl and flat beater was used in this study. A Sprout after 1,500 seconds. Bauer 305-mm pressurized disc refiner was used as both the reaction chamber and refiner for precipitating calcium carbon- ate and incorporating it into pulp fibers. Sprout Bauer refiner RESULTS AND DISCUSSION plates, patterns C-2975-C and 2975-1C (Devil’s teeth), were used in this study. Color and Brightness Test Methods An unexpected yellowing resulted on the fiber-loaded paper made at UMIST. The fiber-loaded paper was 2 brightness points Fiber-loading procedure. less than the conventionally loaded control paper: 85% com- pared with 87% brightness. Additionally, the fiber-loaded To incorporate calcium carbonate, pulp was blended in a Hobart paper had a higher b* (blue-yellow) value, contributing an ivory mixer with varying amounts of calcium reactant and water color to this paper when compared with the control. This was required for the desired chemical load and consistency. The pulp the first time we observed a loss of brightness with the fiber- was mixed for 15 min at low speed to uniformly incorporate the loading process. Therefore, we conducted a series of handsheet calcium compound. Alternately, the pulp, water, and calcium experiments to duplicate these results and isolate the factor re- blend were passed through the Sprout Bauer refiner at atmo- sponsible for the yellowing. spheric conditions using the refining plates to mix and refine at the same time. All our previous experiments were done using fully bleached hardwood kraft pulps. The bleach sequence was elemental chlo- Precipitation of carbonate. rine free (ECF), and the bleached pulp was essentially lignin- free. The pulp used for the papermachine trials at UMIST was High consistency pulp containing calcium reactant was loaded bleached by a totally chlorine free (TCF) method that left some into the refiner feed tank. Carbon dioxide was injected into the residual lignin. We hypothesized that the small amount of 534 / TAPPI Proceedings residual lignin (1.3% by Klason lignin) caused alkaline darken- Dimensional Stability ing of the pulp when exposed to the high alkalinity of the cal- cium hydroxide addition for fiber loading. We observed about a 25-mm-width shrinkage for the 635-mm- wide fiber-loaded paper web compared with the conventional For