Combined effect of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, cellulose nanofibers and drainage aids in recycled paper production process

Quim Tarrés; Helena Oliver-Ortega; Manel Alcalà; Noemí Merayo; Ana Balea; Ángeles Blanco; Pere Mutjé; Marc Delgado-Aguilar

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2017.12.027

Combined effect of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, cellulose nanofibers and drainage aids in recycled paper production process

Carbohydr Polym. 2018 Mar 1:183:201-206. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2017.12.027. Epub 2017 Dec 15.

Authors

Quim Tarrés¹, Helena Oliver-Ortega¹, Manel Alcalà¹, Noemí Merayo², Ana Balea², Ángeles Blanco², Pere Mutjé¹, Marc Delgado-Aguilar³

Affiliations

¹ LEPAMAP Research Group, University of Girona, C/ Maria Aurèlia Capmany, 61, Girona, 17003, Spain.
² Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Chemistry, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Complutense s/n, Madrid, 28040, Spain.
³ LEPAMAP Research Group, University of Girona, C/ Maria Aurèlia Capmany, 61, Girona, 17003, Spain. Electronic address: m.delgado@udg.edu.

PMID: 29352875
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2017.12.027

Abstract

The present work shows the suitability of using recovered cardboard boxes for the development of high-performance papers through the use of cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC-Na). CNF were prepared by enzymatic hydrolysis using bleached kraft hardwood pulp, while a commercial grade of CMC-Na was used. Both were added in bulk together with polyethylenimine (PEI) as wet-end additive to improve pulp drainability. The combination of 3 wt% CNF and 7.5 wt% CMC-Na double the breaking length of paper. In addition, the use of 0.4 wt% of PEI significantly decreased the Schopper - Riegler degree, while mechanical properties remained almost at the same level. It was found that it is possible to recover and even increase the properties of recycled papers, with the added advantage that no structural damages were caused on the fibres, increasing the life span and recyclability of paper products.

Keywords: Carboxymethyl cellulose; Cellulose nanofibers; Papermaking; Recycling.