| 1. |
- Moser, Carl, 1987-
(author)
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Manufacturing and Characterization of Cellulose Nanofibers
- 2018
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The usage of wood has been a dominant driving force during the evolution of the human species. It allowed us to cook food, build tools, put roofs over our head and explore the world. The fibers making up the tree has been the most important way to store and transmit knowledge in the form of paper for centuries. It may not be considered as the most interesting or hi-tech of fields, although, nothing could be further from the truth. One of society's most significant issue is how to live sustainably, which is coincidentally exactly what trees can solve. We can live in tall buildings made from wood, locking up vast amounts of carbon dioxide - we can replace many of the plastics we use today with sustainable alternative from the components making up the tree - we could even make clothes from our trees and stop being reliant on the untenable cotton production - only our imagination is holding us back from what can be made from trees.Cellulose is the structural component in trees, the molecule arranges itself in a complex hierarchical structure that forms the wood-cells, or fibers. Breaking down this hierarchical structure down to its smallest structural units leaves us with tiny fibers, no longer than a few micrometers and with a width of merely four nanometers. These are cellulose nanofibers, and this work has aimed to understand how and what it takes to liberate these fine fibers from the larger fiber that they make up. Two main pathways exist to liberate the nanofibers, either chemically by introducing negatively charged groups on the surface of the cellulose, making the fibrils repel each other, or mechanically, simply by intense processing of the fibers. However, these processes are associated with certain flaws in that (i) vast amount of energy is required unless the fibers are pretreated, (ii) disintegration is performed in instruments that do not scale well, (iii) disintegration is carried out at a low concentration of fibers, typically below 5%. Additionally, what comes out of a process is difficult to characterize in terms of quality due to an inherent inhomogeneity and the small size of the nanofibers.These issues in combination with a greater understanding of the processes are the foundation of this thesis.Decreased energy consumption and scalability was explored via the steam explosion concept Nanopulp. In order to avoid issues associated with the low concentration, a method was developed for drying cellulose nanofibers to a paste without causing hornification using glycerol. A variety of cellulose nanofibers from different sources were prepared and characterization techniques were compared and expanded upon, including the development of a method for better describing the surface area of cellulose nanofibers. Finally, an environmentally friendly composite was made using cheap and available resources in combination with cellulose nanofibers.
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| 2. |
- Starrsjö, Sara, et al.
(author)
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Assessment of Q(OP)D(PO) bleachability of softwood kraft pulp
- 2021
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In: Nordic Pulp & Paper Research Journal. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 0283-2631 .- 2000-0669. ; 36:4, s. 582-593
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Bleachability is evaluated as how easily a pulp sample is bleached and it depends on the structure of residual lignin and carbohydrates. Also, the bleachability varies depending on the bleaching sequence. ECF light sequences have been improved significantly in the recent years. However, we still don't fully understand how ECF light bleach plants are optimally run. This work studies the bleachability of softwood kraft pulp in an ECF light bleaching sequence, (OO)Q(OP)D(PO). Three pulp samples with brown stock kappa number 27, 32 and 35 were bleached and studied for residual lignin, hexenuronic acid and carbohydrate content. It was found that in the bleaching stages that are highly delignifying, it is beneficial with a higher kappa number for the delignifying bleachability. However, in the bleaching stages where the objective is brightness increase, the brightness gain bleachability is improved by a lower kappa number. We also intended to determine which of the three samples had the best suited kappa number for this particular bleaching sequence. According to our results, the bleaching was most effective with kappa number around 32. Although an even higher kappa number resulted in higher yield after cooking, it seemed that this bleaching sequence cannot preserve the yield gain.
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| 3. |
- Starrsjö, Sara, et al.
(author)
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Reduction of adsorbable organically bound halogens (AOX) formation at near-neutral pH chlorine dioxide bleaching of softwood kraft pulp
- 2020
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In: Holzforschung. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 0018-3830 .- 1437-434X. ; 74:6, s. 597-604
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recently, a new type of bleaching sequence, Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) light with one D stage, has been developed. It combines the efficiency and high selectivity of chlorine dioxide (ClO2) bleaching with more environmental friendly oxygen based bleaching chemicals. This work examines the effect of pH on the formation of adsorbable organically bound halogens (AOX) in an intermediate D stage - a single ClO2 stage at the middle of an ECF light bleaching sequence. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is used to generate a bicarbonate buffer in situ, stabilizing the pH during the bleaching. Near-neutral pH is hypothesized to decrease the formation of strongly chlorinating species, so that the AOX formation is reduced. The results indicate that a near-neutral pH D stage can reduce the AOX content in the effluents with up to 30%. The ISO brightness was unchanged to a lower ClO2 consumption. The pulp viscosity was slightly higher after near-neutral pH D stage, but to its disadvantage a lesser delignification and removal of HexA was obtained. The degradation of HexA correlated well with the AOX, affirming earlier theories that HexA has a major impact on the AOX formation. The higher amounts of residual HexA and lignin resulted in more thermal yellowing of the pulps bleached with a near-neutral pH D stage.
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| 4. |
- Aminzadeh, Selda
(author)
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Valorization of Kraft Lignin by Fractionation and Chemical Modifications for Different Applications
- 2018
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- AbstractLignin is one of the most abundant biopolymers. Approximately 70 million tons of technical lignin is generated annually, but only little is used for products other than energy. The complexity of lignin hinders full utilization in high-value products and materials. In spite of the large recent progress of knowledge of lignin structure and biosynthesis, much is still not fully understood, including structural inhomogeneity. We made synthetic lignin at different pH’s and obtained structural differences that might explain the structural inhomogeneity of lignin.Technical lignins from the chemical pulping are available in large scale, but the processes result in alterations, such as oxidation and condensation. Therefore, to utilize technical lignin, modifications, such as fractionation and/or chemical modifications are necessary. Fractionation with ceramic membranes is one way to lower the polydispersity of lignin. The main advantage is their tolerance towards high temperature and harsh conditions. We demonstrated that low Mw lignin was extracted from industrially produced LignoBoost lignin aiming: i) to investigate the performance of the membrane over time; ii) to analyze the antioxidant properties of the low Mw lignin.Chemical modification can also improve the properties of lignin. By adding moieties, different properties can be obtained. Amination and methacrylation of kraft lignin were performed, as well as lignin-silica hybrid materials with potential for the adsorption were produced and investigated.Non-modified and methacrylated lignin were used to synthesize lignin-St-DVB porous microspheres to be utilized as a sorbent for organic pollutants. The possibility to substitute styrene with methacrylated lignin was evaluated, demonstrating that interaction between lignin and DVB, and porosity increased.Lignin has certain antibacterial properties. Un-modified and modified (aminated) lignin samples and sphere nanoparticles of lignin were tested for their effect against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria’s and an injectable hydrogel was developed with encapsulated lignin for being used as an injectable gel for the open wounds. Results demonstrated promising antibacterial efficiency of lignins against gram-positive, more especially better inhibition with aminated lignins against gram-positive and negative bacterium.
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| 5. |
- Andersson, Alexander, et al.
(author)
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Presence of Calcium Cations Stimulate Alkaline Hydrolysis of Cellulose During Kraft Pulping Conditions
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Simulated kraft pulping has been performed on cotton linters fibers consisting of almost pure cellulose with varying content of calcium ions. These concentrations were obtained by soaking and drying cotton linters in calcium sulfate solutions. The viscosities of the pulped fibers were generally lower with higher calcium ion concentration and, therefore, in line with earlier suggested ideas that calcium ions could catalyze alkaline hydrolysis. The technical importance of these results is discussed.
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| 6. |
- Bandekar, R., et al.
(author)
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Cross flow filtration of green liquor for increased pulp production, improved green liquor quality, and energy savings
- 2020
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In: PEERS/IBBC Virtual Conference 2020. - : TAPPI Press. ; , s. 336-349
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A new green liquor filtration system has been installed and commissioned at the Ence pulp mill in Pontevedra, Spain. The filtration system is based on microfiltration and was developed in collaboration with the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. The patented method for efficient purification of green liquor decreases the NPE content by providing more efficient solids/liquid separation, reducing energy and chemical consumption in pulp mills, and could lead to increased production capacity by eliminating certain capacity bottlenecks. The process has been tested at the Aspa Bruk Mill outside Askersund Sweden continuously since 2013. The technology has proven to create nearly particulate free green liquor during the purification process. The technology can also be used to polish white liquor to provide higher pulp quality. To provide for a simple cost-effective installation, the system was designed as a skid mounted unit pre-piped, instrumented, and tested before shipment. The system is modular and allows for easy expansion of capacity. This paper discusses the process design, process integration, and startup of the new system, along with experiences for the first months of operation.
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| 7. |
- Bandekar, R., et al.
(author)
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Crossflow filtration of green liquor for increased pulp production, improved green liquor quality, and energy savings
- 2020
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In: TAPPI Journal. - : Technical Assoc. of the Pulp and Paper Industry Press. - 0734-1415. ; 19:10, s. 527-538
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A new green liquor filtration system has been installed and commissioned at the Ence pulp mill in Pontevedra, Spain. The filtration system is based on microfiltration and was developed in collaboration with the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. The patented method for efficient purification of green liquor decreases the non-process element (NPE) content by providing more efficient solids/liquid separation, reducing energy and chemical consumption in pulp mills and increasing production capacity by eliminating certain capacity bottlenecks. The process has been continuously tested at the Aspa Bruk Mill outside Askersund, Sweden, since 2013. The technology has proven to create nearly particulate-free green liquor during the purification process. The technology can also be used to polish white liquor to provide higher pulp quality. To provide for a simple and cost-effective installation, the system was designed as a skid-mounted unit that is pre-piped, instrumented, and tested before shipment. The system is modular and allows for easy expansion of capacity. This paper discusses the process design, process integration, and startup of the new system, along with experi-ences from the first months of operation. Application: The patented and trademarked CleanFlow system is a technology designed to increase the capacity of a kraft mill recausticizing plant. Crossflow ceramic membranes are used to filter a portion of the green liquor, debottlenecking the existing green liquor clarifiers’ filters. The liquor quality is improved by reducing the buildup of NPEs. CleanFlow can also be implemented to filter white liquor, either the entire stream for improved pulp quality or just a portion, such as with preparing oxidized white liquor for pulp delignification after cooking, or for scrubbing of bleaching system vents.
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| 8. |
- Berglund, Jennie, et al.
(author)
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Acetylation and Sugar Composition Influence the (In)Solubility of Plant beta-Mannans and Their Interaction with Cellulose Surfaces
- 2020
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In: ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 2168-0485. ; 8:27, s. 10027-10040
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Plant beta-mannans are complex heteropolysaccharides that represent an abundant resource from lignocellulosic biomass. The influence of the molecular motifs of plant mannans on the backbone flexibility, solubility, and the interaction with cellulose was investigated by computational and experimental approaches. The regioselectivity of the acetyl substitutions at C2 and C3 distinctively influenced backbone flexibility in aqueous media, as revealed by molecular dynamic simulations. The molecular weight and degree of acetylation were tailored for two model seed mannans (galactomannan and glucomannan) and compared to spruce acetylated galactoglucomannan. The thermal stability was enhanced with increasing acetyl substitutions, independently of the type of mannan. Dynamic light scattering and atomic force microscopy revealed that the occurrence of galactosylation and a low degree of acetylation (similar to that of native acetylated galactoglucomannans) enhanced solubility/dispersibility of mannans, whereas the solubility/dispersibility decreased for higher degrees of acetylation. Mannan solubility influenced their interactions with cellulose at water-cellulose interfaces in terms of adsorbed mass and viscoelastic properties of the adsorbed mannan layers. Our results reveal that modulating the molecular motifs of plant beta-mannans influences their macromolecular conformation and physicochemical properties, with fundamental implications for their role in the plant cell wall and the design of wood-based materials.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Berglund, Jennie, et al.
(author)
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Wood hemicelluloses exert distinct biomechanical contributions to cellulose fibrillar networks
- 2020
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In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Nature. - 2041-1723. ; 11:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Hemicelluloses, a family of heterogeneous polysaccharides with complex molecular structures, constitute a fundamental component of lignocellulosic biomass. However, the contribution of each hemicellulose type to the mechanical properties of secondary plant cell walls remains elusive. Here we homogeneously incorporate different combinations of extracted and purified hemicelluloses (xylans and glucomannans) from softwood and hardwood species into self-assembled networks during cellulose biosynthesis in a bacterial model, without altering the morphology and the crystallinity of the cellulose bundles. These composite hydrogels can be therefore envisioned as models of secondary plant cell walls prior to lignification. The incorporated hemicelluloses exhibit both a rigid phase having close interactions with cellulose, together with a flexible phase contributing to the multiscale architecture of the bacterial cellulose hydrogels. The wood hemicelluloses exhibit distinct biomechanical contributions, with glucomannans increasing the elastic modulus in compression, and xylans contributing to a dramatic increase of the elongation at break under tension. These diverging effects cannot be explained solely from the nature of their direct interactions with cellulose, but can be related to the distinct molecular structure of wood xylans and mannans, the multiphase architecture of the hydrogels and the aggregative effects amongst hemicellulose-coated fibrils. Our study contributes to understanding the specific roles of wood xylans and glucomannans in the biomechanical integrity of secondary cell walls in tension and compression and has significance for the development of lignocellulosic materials with controlled assembly and tailored mechanical properties.
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