Abstract
Cellulose microfibrils (CMF) are a promising biobased
material with unique nanospecific properties, giving them
potential for use in numerous applications. Based on
this, cost-effective and novel high-consistency enzymatic
fibrillation (HefCel) technology was used to produce CMF,
which was further used to reinforce middle ply of board
structure and the results compared with those obtained
without CMF addition and with addition of CMF produced by
traditional Masuko grinding (VTT Native grade). The
results showed an average increase in tensile index of
middle ply of board of approximately 50% with VTT Native
grade and approximately 15% with HefCel grade at 3% CMF
dosage. According to special board measurements, ~100%
improvement in Scott bond, ~117% improvement in
Z-directional strength, as well as ~13% improvement in
bending stiffness were achieved with VTT Native grade
compared with the reference case, while addition of
HefCel resulted in improvements of ~35% in Scott bond,
~40% in Z-directional strength, and ~20% in bending
stiffness. Addition of HefCel CMF generated a bulkier
handsheet structure compared with VTT Native CMF, which
had a direct impact on the bending stiffness. The
differences in the strengthening effect between HefCel
CMF and VTT Native CMF are most probably due to the
fibril morphology; VTT Native CMF with long and flexible
fibrils provided tensile strength, while HefCel CMF
consisting of short fibrils had a more substantial impact
on the bending stiffness. The bending stiffness is one of
the most important characteristics in board applications,
indicating that HefCel CMF has potential for use as a
reinforcement material in packaging applications.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1041-1055 |
Journal | Cellulose |
Volume | 24 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Feb 2017 |
MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Keywords
- cellulose microfibrils
- cost-effective production
- packaging
- reinforcement material
- strength additive