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Flocculation of fiber suspensions studied by Rheo-OCT, TAPPI Journal September 2024

ABSTRACT: When dealing with papermaking fiber suspensions, particle flocculation takes place even before the paper web is formed. The particle flocculation depends on several aspects, including particle mass concentration (consistency), particle collisions, electrochemical interactions promoted by chemical additives, etc. Due to its importance, fiber suspension flocculation has been studied for a long time in papermaking, and several methods have been developed for this purpose. The traditional techniques include, for example, focused beam reflectance microscopy (FBRM) and high-speed video imaging (HSVI). Recently, a new optical method, optical coherence tomography (OCT), has emerged for flocculation analysis. The advantages of OCT are the possibility to study opaque suspensions, its micron-llevel resolution, and its high data acquisition speed. The OCT measurements can be combined with rheological (Rheo) measurements, allowing simultaneous measurement of both the time evolution of the floc size and the suspension viscosity. In this work, we used this approach, Rheo-OCT, to study the flocculation of suspensions of various papermaking furnishes. We analyzed the time evolution of the floc size and the fiber suspension viscosity when the studied papermaking suspensions were treated with highly refined furnish (HRF) — a furnish that contained a significant amount of micofibrillated cellulose (MFC)-type fibrils — and/or chemical additives. Such studies can lead to a better understanding of the impact of flocculation on the produced paper web in terms of qualities like formation, drainage potential, and strength behavior.

On the Modeling and Characterization of the Tensile Response of Paper, TAPPICon24

Role of xylan in softwood kraft pulp fiber sheets and fiber foams, TAPPICon24

Graphic Packaging Starts Up Kalamazoo’s New K2 Coated Recycled Board Mill, TAPPICon24

Leveraging Features of MPC for Optimizing Paper Machine Profitability, TAPPICon24

The influence of precoating layers on the performance of water-based barrier coatings, TAPPI Journal January 2025

Cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) on paper have been demonstrated to be an effective barrier against oxygen and grease and have been shown to improve the barrier performance of dispersion-based barrier coatings. The potential to produce paper grades that have good oxygen, grease, and moisture barrier properties is clear, but a better understanding of the synergies between CNF, other coating layers, and water-based barrier coatings (WBBC) is needed to optimize these systems. Different coat weights of a commercial WBBC were applied to papers that have a range of different qualities and thicknesses of CNF precoating layers. The same WBBC was also applied to pigmented coated paper, with various types of pigments and latex levels. Samples were characterized in terms of grease resistance, water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), and oxygen transmission rate (OTR) before and after folding. The results were contrasted to cases where the WBBC was applied to the paper with no precoating layer. When the WBBC is applied on a CNF layer or the pigmented coating layer, the performance of the WBBC for the water vapor barrier improves a significant amount compared to when the WBBC is applied to the base paper with no precoating layer. This improvement likely comes from these precoating layers filling in the large paper pores, which leads to the WBBC forming a continuous layer at low coat weights. Folding decreases the moisture barrier performance to some degree, but the grease resistance is not influenced by folding when a CNF precoating layer is involved. Oxygen barrier properties are moderate for the CNF layer alone and are less than 5 cm3/m2/day when WBBC is coated on the CNF layer. This result likely comes from the barrier coating’s ability to repair defects in the CNF layer to stop the easy passage of oxygen in defect regions of the sample.

Study on the effect of aluminum diethyl phosphinate in synergy with ammonium polyphosphate on the flame retardancy of cellulose paper, TAPPI Journal April 2025

ABSTRACT: This paper involved the synergistic incorporation of ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and diethyl aluminum phosphinate (AlPi) as flame-retardant fillers for producing flame-retardant paper. The research revealed that APPs were square particles with a smooth surface, and their solubility was 0.29 g/100 mL at 20°C, which increased to 4.12 g/100 mL at 60°C. The surfaces of AlPis were rough and irregular. The solubility of AlPi was 0.023 g/100 mL at 20°C, and the solubility remained stable when the temperature increased. The addition of AlPi had a minor influence on the pulp beating degree. The tensile strength of kraft/APP/AlPi decreased with the increase of the AlPi addition. For a paper with 20 wt% APP and 0 wt% AlPi, the limiting oxygen index (LOI) value was 27.2%, and it burned completely at the eighth second during vertical combustion. When the AlPi additive content increased to 20 wt%, its LOI value increased to 32.2%, and the vertical combustion self-extinguished as soon as the flame was removed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the char residue of the kraft/APP/AlPi had a more complete fiber network structure than that of kraft/APP. The Raman spectroscopy indicated that the area ratio of the D (amorphous phase; disordered graphite vibration) band to the G (crystal phase; graphite carbon vibration) band (ID/ IG) ratio of kraft/APP/AlPi was lower than that of kraft/APP, meaning that the graphitization degree of the char residue of kraft/APP/AlPi was higher than that of kraft/APP, which indicated the kraft/APP/AlPi had better flame retardancy.

In-situ process monitoring in deep-drawing of paper using partially transparent tools, TAPPI Journal August 2025

ABSTRACT: The production of three-dimensionally formed packaging from paper by deep drawing usually leads to the occurrence of wrinkles, which result from the high tangential compressive stresses in the flange area and the limited flowability of the material. Wrinkles, although mostly tolerated in industry, end in both a reduced visual appearance and a reduction in usability for packaging, as with, for example, when gas-tightness is required. Previous research efforts have been limited to determining the wrinkle distribution after completion of forming and removal of the formed part. Consequently, the possibility of understanding the sequence of formation of individual wrinkles in the inhomogeneous material is lost. To remedy this situation, a method for local in-situ process monitoring is presented. Using a transparent die and an industrial camera, the flange area can be observed during the forming process. An image processing algorithm is applied to analyze the local development of the deep drawing process from the continuously recorded image data. The method described can be used to analyze the draw-in behavior and wrinkle formation locally and continuously over the drawing depth. The blank holder force influences the draw-in and the wrinkle pattern both locally and throughout the drawing process. A more precise understanding of the wrinkle formation will allow for more efficient process control in the future.

Controllable conversion of cellulose nanocrystals to cellulose microspheres: Insight on the effect of parameters during spray drying, TAPPI Journal February 2025

ABSTRACT: Cellulose microspheres, which have mainly been produced via the sol-gel method up until now, exhibit a promising potential for broad applications due to their regular microstructure and renewability. However, some issues with production of cellulose microspheres, such as the recycling of involved organic solvents and the removal of the residual solvents, should be solved. In this study, a cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) suspension was used to produce cellulose microspheres via spray drying in order to avoid the use of organic solvents. The effects of CNCs particle size, CNCs concentration, and inlet temperature of spray drying on microstructure and particle size of cellulose microspheres were investigated. The results indicated that the optimal average particle size and concentration of CNCs used for obtaining cellulose microspheres were 106 nm and 0.1 wt%, respectively. Under the optimal conditions, cellulose microspheres with a regular spherical morphology and an average particle size of ca. 3 ìm were obtained. The sulfuric acid hydrolysis and spray drying process barely affected the crystalline structure of cellulose. However, the introduced sulfhydryl groups, which were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results, degraded the thermostability of cellulose. Generally speaking, converting CNCs to cellulose microspheres via spray drying is beneficial for promoting the controllable and continuous production of cellulose microspheres.

Local delamination in pharmaceutical blister packages • A thermomechanical theory on buckling of heat-sealed composite laminates in flexible packaging, TAPPI Journal July 2025

ABSTRACT: Pharmaceutical blister packages consist of cavities made from a thick polymeric form foil and a thin aluminum lid foil. Heat-sealing technology is usually used to bond the lid foil to the form foil. Occasionally, the sealed area shows buckling defects of the lid foil, which allow contamination to enter into the cavity. A contaminated product is a worst-case scenario for pharmaceutical production and must be avoided. We discuss a thermomechanical theory on buckling defects in blister packages and derive strategies to avoid these. The theory is based on the assumption that the seal of a blister packaging behaves like a laminate of thin composite layers under compressive load. Literature research on buckling of thin laminated films, thermal behavior of polymers, and seal strength of heat-sealed polymers provides the technical and physical background to elaborate the theory. The theory comprises three elements: an initial condition regarding thermal load and precedent defects; a buckling condition; and a crack propagation condition. The plausibility of the theory is verified using model calculations and heat-seal tests. The paper concludes with strategies against buckling of heat-sealed lid foils and an outlook on other applications in laminating and coating of polymer films.