Improving Eucalyptus Pulp and Paper Quality Using Genetic Selection and Good Organization
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RESEARCH IMPROVING EUCALYPTUS PULP AND PAPER QUALITY USING GENETIC SELECTION AND GOOD ORGANIZATION PAUL COTTERILL AND SHARMANE MACRAE INTERACTIONS AMONG RESEARCH, FORESTRY, PULP MILL, SALES, AND THE CUSTOMER ARE VERY IMPORTANT. RESEARCH CAN BE THE BOND AMONG THE VARIOUS GROUPS IN DEVELOPING NEW PRODUCTS. UCALYPTUS KRAFT PULPS BEGAN TO APPEAR ON THE and E. grandis (and its hybrid with E. urophylla). world markets in the mid-1960s. Over less than • Why does the industry use so little of what the remark- a decade, eucalyptus pulps evolved to become able genus known as eucalyptus may have to offer? important raw materials for a wide range of printing and writing papers, specialty papers, Why have foresters not established plantations using E and tissue papers. a wider diversity of eucalyptus species? This relative lack It is interesting to analyze the general quality and mar- of diversity is surprising considering the worldwide ket position of eucalyptus pulps today and how eucalyp- increase in eucalyptus plantation area over the last tus pulp products could be developed in the future. This decade. Why has the pulp industry been content with paper focuses on opportunities to develop eucalyptus such a limited product range from eucalyptus? pulps through genetic selection both between and The eucalyptus pulp industry has so far missed con- within species. Attention is also devoted to the need for siderable opportunities by basing wood production on close integration among research and operational people so few species of eucalyptus. involved in the forest, mill, and sales organizations. HOW MUCH VARIABILITY EXISTS BETWEEN WHY DOES THE EUCALYPTUS PULP INDUSTRY USE SO DIFFERENT SPECIES OF EUCALYPTUS FOR WOOD AND LITTLE GENETIC VARIABILITY? PAPER PROPERTIES? Consider the following points: Field and laboratory studies The following results are from a eucalyptus species trial • Eucalyptus is a large genus of plants that includes established on one uniform site. Each of the species in about 700 species occurring naturally across wet and the trial were represented by two to three different dry, and tropical and temperate environments of Aus- native provenances (populations) grown from seed col- tralia (and in a few cases the islands to the north of lected in different regions in Australia. Cross-sectional Australia). wood discs were collected from 20–30 trees per species • Only a handful (less than 1%) of these 700 species harvested at 10 years of age (1). These wood discs were seem to have been used for industrial purposes. The subjected to kraft cooking and chlorine bleaching eucalyptus kraft pulp industry today is based largely sequences at Stora Corporate Research laboratories in on only two or three species, i.e., Eucalyptus globulus Sweden (2). 82 TAPPI JOURNAL JUNE 1997 130 12 110 /g 2 m/g • m • 10 90 70 Nitens 8 Nitens Viminalis Viminalis 50 TEAR INDEX, mN TENSILE INDEX, N Globulus Globulus Grandis Grandis 30 6 0 500 1000 1500 2000 0 500 10001500 2000 PFI BEATING, revolutions PFI BEATING, revolutions 1. Means of different eucalyptus species for tensile index of 2. Means of different eucalyptus species for tear index of paper across increasing levels of PFI refining in the laboratory. paper across increasing levels of PFI refining in the laboratory. The error bars show the approximate range of the 2–3-prove- The error bars show the approximate range of the 2–3-prove- nance means that were used to calculate the mean for each nance means that were used to calculate the mean for each species. species. s 900 • Nitens m/Pa 60 3 µ Viminalis 800 Globulus Grandis 40 700 Nitens 20 600 Viminalis SHEET DENSITY, kg/m Globulus Grandis 500 AIR PERMEANCE (GURLEY), 0 0 500 10001500 2000 0 500 10001500 2000 PFI BEATING, revolutions PFI BEATING, revolutions 3. Means of different eucalyptus species for paper sheet den- 4. Means of different eucalyptus species for porosity (air per- sity (paper bulk is the inverse of paper density) across increas- meance) of paper across increasing levels of PFI refining in the ing levels of PFI refining in the laboratory.The error bars show laboratory.The error bars show the approximate range of the the approximate range of the 2–3-provenance means that 2–3-provenance means that were used to calculate the mean were used to calculate the mean for each species. for each species. Species differences in paper properties across different It is evident that bleached kraft pulp processed under refining levels laboratory conditions from E. globulus wood raw mater- Figures 1–5 give paper properties plotted against ial produced paper sheets having very high porosity (Fig. increasing refining (PFI beating) levels for four different 4) and rather low sheet density (or high sheet bulk) (Fig. eucalyptus species, i.e., E. globulus, E. grandis, E. nitens, 3) compared with the other eucalyptus species. Pulps and E.viminalis. Also included in Figs. 1–5 are error bars from E. nitens and E. viminalis produced paper sheets that show the approximate range of the provenance having rather high tensile strength (Fig. 1), high sheet means that were used to calculate each of the species density (low bulk) (Fig. 3), and low porosity (Fig. 4). The means. E. nitens pulp had higher tear strength before refining VOL. 80: NO. 6 TAPPI JOURNAL 83 RESEARCH 1500 84 Nitens Nitens Viminalis Viminalis Globulus Globulus Grandis 1000 Grandis 80 OPACITY, % 500 76 PFI BEATING, revolutions 72 0 0 500 10001500 2000 60 70 80 PFI BEATING, revolutions TENSILE INDEX, N•m/g 5. Means of different eucalyptus species for opacity of paper 6. Means of eucalyptus species for the PFI refining of pulp across increasing levels of PFI refining in the laboratory.The required to reach different levels of paper tensile strength error bars show the approximate range of the 2–3-provenance means that were used to calculate the mean for each species. s • 750 40 m/Pa 3 µ 700 Nitens Viminalis Globulus 20 Grandis 650 Nitens Viminalis SHEET DENSITY, kg/m Globulus Grandis 600 AIR PERMEANCE (GURLEY), 0 60 70 80 60 70 80 TENSILE INDEX, N•m/g TENSILE INDEX, N•m/g 7. Means of eucalyptus species for paper sheet density at dif- 8. Means of eucalyptus species for paper porosity (air perme- ferent levels of paper tensile strength. Bulk is the direct inverse ance) at different levels of paper tensile strength of sheet density. Populations within species (Fig.2).Pulp from E.grandis tended to be intermediate in Figures 1–5 reveal substantial differences in paper prop- sheet density and porosity. erties that can occur between populations (provenances) The paper properties shown in Figs. 1–5 are based on within each of the different eucalyptus species. These trees grown under uniform conditions, harvested at the populations represent different regions in Australia same age, and pulped and bleached in the same labora- where the particular species occur naturally. tory process. In the case of eucalyptus market pulps In the case of porosity,the species mean for E. globu- traded on world markets, there can be differences in lus was 35 µm/Pa·s at a refining level of 500 PFI revolu- properties that are due to different growing conditions of tions (Fig. 4). However,the two populations evaluated for the forests, different harvesting ages, and different pulp E. globulus ranged from 21 to 48 µm/Pa·s. It is a simple mill processes. Such variations are not considered here. matter to obtain seed from these different populations and use genetic differences at the population level for 84 TAPPI JOURNAL JUNE 1997 85 75 Grandis g/m µ 80 70 Globulus OPACITY, % 75 Nitens 65 Viminalis Viminalis Nitens Globulus Grandis FIBER COARSENESS, 70 60 60 70 80 0200 400 600 800 TENSILE INDEX, N•m/g PFI BEATING, revolutions 9. Means of eucalyptus species for paper opacity at different 10. Means of eucalyptus species for wood fiber coarseness vs. levels of paper tensile strength means of the same species for PFI refining (beating revolu- tions) required to produce a 70-N·m/g constant-tensile- strength paper. Fiber coarseness is measured as the weight of 1 m of wood fibers laid end-to-end. industrial forestry and pulping operations (discussed porosity (Fig. 4), and bulk (Fig. 3). Many paper manufac- later). Substantial population differences are also evident turers are interested in minimizing the refining of pulps for tensile strength (Fig. 1). both to save cost and to improve quality features such as Species differences in paper properties across different opacity. tensile levels When comparing paper properties of eucalyptus Figures 6–9 compare the paper properties of different species at a constant tensile strength, it is evident that eucalyptus species at a constant tensile strength. Tensile the lower refining levels required for E. viminalis and E. strength is an important parameter commonly used by nitens (Fig. 6) give these pulps a substantial advantage in papermakers to define appropriate levels for refining paper opacity (Fig.9).In terms of other paper properties, pulps. A tensile index of approximately 70 N·m/g can be such as bulk (Fig. 7) and porosity (Fig. 8) at constant ten- considered somewhat standard for many of the end-use sile strength, the E. nitens and E. viminalis pulps appear applications of eucalyptus pulps. to be comparable with the E. grandis pulp. It is apparent from Fig. 6 that E. nitens and E. vimi- Eucalyptus pulps in different market segments nalis required no more than 200 revolutions of PFI refin- For more than two decades, the eucalyptus kraft pulp ing to reach a tensile index of 70 N·m/g. Eucalyptus. market has been almost completely dominated by wood globulus and E.