PAPER making! g! FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF PAPER TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL ® Volume 12, Number 1, 2026
industry. However, the poor compatibility of masking materials with coating matrices often compromises film formation, adhesion, and stability, thus driving the need for high- performance alternatives. To tackle this challenge, monodisperse polystyrene microspheres ( 1.35μm) with exceptional light-blocking properties were successfully synthesized through a simple yet optimized dispersion polymerization approach. These microspheres were subsequently incorporated into styrene-acrylic latex (SAL) to develop a microcomposite coating system. The resulting microcomposite coating showed a significant reduction in UV– vis transmittance, decreasing it to below 25%. This represented a 70.16% (±2.02%) reduction in maximum transmittance compared to the pristine SAL coating. Furthermore, the microcomposite coating demonstrated superior environmental durability under various conditions, including aqueous, ethanol, saline, acidic, alkaline, UV light and cyclic mechanical stress conditions. When applied to paper substrates, the microcomposite coating significantly enhanced both optical and mechanical properties, outperforming conventional masking materials. In addition, the coated paper was fully biodegradable under natural conditions within 30 days. Notably, the residues from the polymerization process exhibited exceptional reusability, consistent with the principles of the circular economy. This study presents a green synthesis approach for high-performance waterborne coatings, combining exceptional light-blocking efficiency with robust stability, with potential applications in papermaking, construction, and automotive industries. ENERGY “Hydrogen production strategies in pulp and papermaking environment- a review on processes, challenges and economics”, Anshu, Aggrawal, Virender Yadav, Kumar Anupam, Suman Dutta, Applied Energy , Vol.413, 15 June 2026, 127746. As the world seeks to transition to a lower-carbon and sustainable energy future, H 2 is gaining attention as a renewable fuel in the energy landscape. Policymakers, industry stakeholders, and researchers are actively working to unfold the full potential of H 2 as a renewable fuel. H 2 production from the pulp and papermaking resources is an emerging area of interest that aligns with the growing demand for clean and sustainable energy sources. Pulp and paper mills (PPM) generate various by-products, viz., waste biomass, prehydrolysis liquor, black liquor, lignin, lime mud, wastepaper, wastewater, effluent treatment sludge, etc., which can be utilised for H 2 production through different physicochemical and biological methods. Dark/photo fermentation, enzymatic hydrolysis, electrolysis, gasification, sub/supercritical hydrothermal treatment, saccharification, photocatalysis, etc., are some processes that have been sustainably implemented for H 2 production from the aforementioned PPM-based by-products. However, integrating H 2 production into existing PPM operations requires careful consideration of technical and economic aspects to ensure viability and sustainability. Hence, this article, in a first attempt of its kind, provides an overview of H 2 production strategies in the PPM environment, highlighting process fundamentals, existing scenarios, technical aspects, mechanistic pathways, case studies and cost analysis, along with possible associated operational and economic challenges. It also provides an overview of PPM operations, highlighting the point of origin of the above-mentioned by-products, making this article helpful for non-papermakers. Adopting a comprehensive action plan for H 2 generation from PPM-based by-products can be an excellent initiative to achieve the goals of global energy sustainability. ENVIRONMENT “Integrating life cycle assessment and fault tree analysis to quantify environmental emissions and risks for corrugated paper production”, Weiqing Huang, Qiang Yang, Guojun Yang, Shuoshi Liu, Sheng Yang, Journal of Cleaner Production , Vol.537, 20 Dec. 2025, 147222. China's papermaking industry is confronted with excessive pollutant
Technical Abstracts
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