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The Shendye-Fleming OBA Index for paper and paperboard, TAPPI Journal March 2022

ABSTRACT: We are proposing a new one-dimensional scale to calculate the effects of optical brightening agents (OBA) on the bluish appearance of paper. This index is separate from brightness and whiteness indices.In the paper industry, one-dimensional scales are widely used for determining optical properties of paper and paperboard. Whiteness, tint, brightness, yellowness, and opacity are the most common optical properties of paper and paperboard. Most of the papers have a blue cast generated by addition of OBA or blue dyes. This blue cast is given because of the human perception that bluer is whiter, up to a certain limit. To quantify this effect, it is necessary to determine how much blue cast paper and paperboard have. As the printing industry follows the ISO 3664 Standard for viewing, which has a D50 light source, this also plays a very important role in showing a blue cast. Color perception is based on light source and light reflected from an object. The ultraviolet (UV) component in D50 interacts with OBA to provide a reflection in the blue region of the visible spectrum. Use of a UV blocking filter results in measurements without the effect of emission in the blue region. This difference is used in determining the OBA effect in the visible range of the paper. This equation is known as the Shendye-Fleming OBA Index.

The Effect of Component Removal Upon the Porous Structure of the Cell Wall of Wood. II. Swelling in Water and the Fiber Saturation Point, TAPPI Journal May 2022

ABSTRACT: The word "swelling" applied to an assemblage of fibers such as wood or wood pul p is very vague.

The Mechanism of Bonding, TAPPI Journal September 2022

ABSTRACT: Three factors are involved in cellulose bonding--available area, contact, and hydrogen bonding.

Paper Mill HMI Displays Benefit from Integrated KVM Extenders, November/December 2023 Paper360º

Wood Market Dynamics and the Impact on Pulp and Paper: Current Trends, November/December 2023 Paper360º

Kraft pulp viscosity as a predictor of paper strength: Its uses and abuses, TAPPI Journal October 2023

ABSTRACT: For bleached kraft pulps, two factors govern paper strength: the individual fiber strength, and the bond strength that adheres the individual fibers together in the paper matrix. Inherent fiber strength is related to the length of the carbohydrate polymers, also known as the degree of polymerization (DP). Average DP (DP) is inferred by performing pulp viscosity measurements. Under certain circumstances during kraft pulping and bleaching, the average polymer lengths can be shortened, resulting in lower pulp viscosity, and may indicate fiber damage. Fiber damage typically manifests itself as a reduction in tear strength for well-bonded handsheets.This paper will review the literature on how pulp viscosity can predict paper/fiber strength and how it can be used as a diagnostic tool. It can be a means to monitor pulp quality during pulping and bleaching, as well as to alert when such operations approach a critical threshold. However, viscosity losses must be carefully and judiciously analyzed. Like most diagnostic tools, viscosity measurements can be misused and abused, which can lead to incorrect inferences about intrinsic fiber strength. This review will also cover these misuses. The overall goal is to provide the papermaker a better understanding of what pulp viscosity is, how it correlates to potential sheet strength, and what its limitations are. It will be illustrated that when pulp viscosity drops below a critical value, it will indicate an appreciable deterioration in the paper’s tear and tensile strength.

ABB’s New R&D Center: Perfect Location for the Transformation of the Pulp and Paper Industry, Paper360º September/October 2023

Evaluation of rice straw for purification of lovastatin, TAPPI Journal November 2021

ABSTRACT: Cholesterol synthesis in the human body can be catalyzed by the coenzyme HMG-CoA reductase, and lovastatin, a key enzyme inhibitor, can reduce hypercholesterolemia. Lovastatin can be obtained as a secondary metabolite of Aspergillus terreus ATCC 20542. In this study, rice straw of lignocellulose was used in aeration and agitation bath fermentation in a 1-L flask, and a maximal crude extraction rate of 473 mg/L lovastatin was obtained. The crude extract was treated with silica gel (230–400 mesh) column chromatography. Ethyl acetate/ethanol (95%) was used as the mobile phase, and isolation was performed through elution with various ethyl acetate/ethanol ratios. The highest production rate of 153 mg/L was achieved with ethyl acetate/ethanol in a ratio of 8:2. The lovastatin gained from the crude extract was added to 12 fractions treated with 0.001 N alkali, and acetone was then added. After 24 h of recrystallization at 4°C, the extract underwent high-performance liquid chromatography. The purity had increased from 25% to 84.6%, and the recovery rate was 65.2%.

Application of spruce wood flour as a cellulosic-based wood additive for recycled paper applications— A pilot paper machine study, TAPPI Journal October 2021

ABSTRACT: This study gives a first insight into the use of wood flour as a plant-based and cellulosic-based alter-native additive for newsprint and paperboard production using 100% recycled fibers as a raw material. The study compares four varieties of a spruce wood flour product serving as cellulosic-based additives at addition rates of 2%, 4%, and 6% during operation of a 12-in. laboratory pilot paper machine. Strength properties of the produced news-print and linerboard products were analyzed. Results suggested that spruce wood flour as a cellulosic-based additive represents a promising approach for improving physical properties of paper and linerboard products made from 100% recycled fiber content. This study shows that wood flour pretreated with a plant-based polysaccharide and untreated spruce wood flour product with a particle size range of 20 μm to 40 μm and 40 μm to 70 μm can increase the bulk and tensile properties in newsprint and linerboard applications.

Root cause analysis of cationic polymer additive efficiency decline in virgin and recycle containerboard mills, TAPPI Journal January 2020

ABSTRACT: It is well known that retention, drainage and strength polymers struggle to perform (if at all) in virgin containerboard mills. In-depth studies have been undertaken in this area for more than seven years, investigating the issue from all directions. A key finding of this work is that soluble lignin is detrimental to chemical efficiency. A strong correlation exists between decreased chemical efficiency and high soluble lignin. Both recycled systems and virgin systems have been studied, and this correlation holds true regardless of furnish. The primary area of concern is virgin container-board, because these mills tend to have the highest lignin levels. Some highly closed recycled mills can also build elevated lignin levels that can negatively affect chemical efficiency.