PAPERmaking! FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF PAPER TECHNOLOGY Volume 2, Number 1, 2016
ENVIRONMENT Maximizing the greenhouse gas reductions from biomass: The role of life cycle assessment, Patricia Thornley et al , Biomass and Bioenergy , 81. Biomass can deliver significant greenhouse gas reductions in electricity, heat and transport fuel supply. However, our biomass resource is limited and should be used to deliver the most strategic and significant impacts. The relative greenhouse gas reduction merits of different bioenergy systems (for electricity, heat, chemical and biochar production) were examined on a common, scientific basis using consistent life cycle assessment methodology, scope of system and assumptions. FIBRES Surface and thermal enhancement of the cellulosic component of thermo mechanical pulp using a rapid method: Iodomethane modification, Michael George et al , Carbohydrate Polymers , 142. The feasibility of employing chemical methods for enhancement of cellulose-based materials is dependent on the availability, price, and green index of the modifying agent. This study details the use of iodomethane, an inexpensive organo halide, to increase the hydrophobicity of thermo mechanical (TMP) samples, which renders them better structural elements for composite materials. Preparation of reactive fibre interfaces using multifunctional cellulose derivatives, Beatriz Vega et al , Carbohydrate Polymers , 132. Cellulose fibres have poor reactivity and limited potential for surface engineering with advanced chemical functionalisation in water. In this work, cellulose fibres were decorated with azide functions by charge-directed self-assembly of a novel water-soluble multifunctional cellulose derivative yielding reactive fibres. FILLERS / PIGMENTS Fillers for Papermaking: A Review of their Properties, Usage Practices, and their Mechanistic Role, Martin A. Hubbe & Robert A. Gill, Bioresources , 11 (1). Issues of cost and product quality have caused papermakers to place increased attention on the use of mineral additives, which are the subject of this review article. Technologists responsible for the production of paper can choose from a broad range of natural and synthetic mineral products, each of which has different characteristic shapes, size distributions, and surface chemical behaviour. This article considers methods of characterisation, and then discusses the distinguishing features of widely available filler products. The mechanisms by which fillers affect different paper properties is reviewed, as well as procedures for handling fillers in the paper mill and retaining them in the paper. Optical properties of paper and strategies to maintain paper strength at higher filler levels are considered. The goal of this review is to provide background both for engineers working to make their paper products more competitive and for researchers aiming to achieve effects beyond the current state of the art. [Editor’s note – this article would have been reproduced in this edition of PAPERmaking!, but for the fact it is 74 pages long. It is an article well worth reading and can be downloaded free of charge from www.bioresources.com] NANO-SCIENCE Biodegradability and mechanical properties of reinforced starch nanocomposites using cellulose nanofibers, Mehran Babaee, Carbohydrate Polymers , 132. In this study the effects of chemical modification of cellulose nanofibres (CNFs) on the biodegradability and mechanical properties of reinforced thermoplastic starch (TPS) nanocomposites was evaluated. Compared with the neat TPS, the addition of nanofibres
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Technical Abstracts
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