Adding lignin derivatives to decrease the effect of mechano-sorptive creep in linerboard

• When load is applied to any type of paper while varying the relative humidity, the paper will creep more than if the same load is applied at constant humidity. This behaviour is called mechano-sorptive creep or accelerated creep, and the reasons for its occurrence in paper are still not fully understood. However, wet strength and the addition of apolar (hydrophobic) compounds to sheets have previously been suggested as factors improving the mechano-sorptive creep performance. This work evaluates a method for improving wet strength and tests the addition of a hydrophobic compound, with particular reference to mechano-sorptive creep stiffness. Wet strength was improved by subjecting kraft liner pulp to low-molecular-weight lignin, obtained by cross-flow filtration, and to the radical initiator manganese(III). The hydrophobic compound added was a suberin-like lignin derivative. Adding the suberin-like lignin derivative significantly increased the mechano-sorptive creep stiffness, even though the stiffness at 90% rh decreased in the tested samples. This was probably because of the decrease in hygroexpansion caused by this hydrophobic additive. Even though it is possible significantly to increase the wet strength of kraft liner pulp by adding manganese(III) and cross-flow-filtered lignin, doing so has no significant effect on mechano-sorptive creep stiffness.

Subject headings

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Materialteknik -- Pappers-, massa- och fiberteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Materials Engineering -- Paper, Pulp and Fiber Technology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

lignin derivatives; mechano-sorptive creep; wet strength; kraft liner; hygroexpansion; oxidative coupling; CROSS-LINKING; BLACK LIQUOR; PAPER

Cellulose and paper engineering

Cellulosa- och pappersteknik

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)