PAPER making! g! FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF PAPER TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL ® Volume 12, Number 1, 2026
Detailed analyses of filler morphology and distribution elucidated the structure-property relationships underlying this performance. Furthermore, the versatility of the approach was demonstrated with other functional fillers, imparting properties such as flame retardancy, oil/water separation, high brightness, and soluble organic pollutant absorption. Overall, this study reveals the critical feature of CNFs in simultaneously improving filler retention and mechanical properties, demonstrating their high potential for their applications in the papermaking industry. “Research and application of multifunctional modified attapulgite papermaking auxiliaries”, Tingting Xu, Ruixiang Xie, Yiyu Long, Jianrong Da, Yao Xu, Guanghui Lu, Huiyang Bian, Shumei Wang, Hongqi Dai, Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects , Vol.737, Part 1, 20 May 2026, 139785. The development of multifunctional papermaking additives has long been a research focus. Attapulgite, a naturally abundant chain-layered magnesium-aluminosilicate clay mineral, is a promising non-metallic resource. When incorporated into pulp, its notable adsorption capacity, colloidal properties, and hydroxyl- rich structure may promote compatibility with plant fibers, thereby improving paper uniformity, smoothness, and flexibility. Furthermore, owing to its high specific surface area and strong surface adsorption effects, attapulgite can be easily surface-modified through simple treatments to enhance bonding between paper fibers and fillers, reduce retention aid usage, and even serve as a functional filler. However, current challenges include irregular mining practices for raw attapulgite ores, compositional complexity, insufficient analysis of its structural and physicochemical properties, and limited research on post-modification strategies, all of which hinder its high-value applications. To address these limitations, this study utilized raw attapulgite ore as a base material. After purification via a straightforward washing method, its surface was modified with polydopamine to serve as a carrier for silver nanoparticles, yielding a highly dispersed functional attapulgite-based filler for papermaking. The modified attapulgite filler demonstrated significant performance enhancements: after paper formation, the white water turbidity decreased from 81.8 NTU to 40.3 NTU. The paper tensile index was maintained with a slight improvement, increasing from 23.97 N·m·g · ¹ to 24.81 N·m·g · ¹. No significant adverse effects were observed on the bulk, opacity, or whiteness. Moreover, it exhibited favorable antibacterial activity, with inhibition zone diameters of 11.80 mm and 12.14 mm against E. coli and S. aureus , respectively. These results confirm that simple purification and modification strategies can endow attapulgite fillers with multifunctionality, providing a practical reference for future applications of attapulgite-based functional materials in the paper industry. MOULDED PULP “Simplified Dynamic Modeling of Molded Pulp Packaging for Road Transportation”, Zhihang Li, Kuanmin Mao, Appl. Sci., 16(2), 2026, 1090. As a packaging material, molded pulp has experienced sustained growth in demand because of its high recyclability and biodegradability. However, refined structural modeling of their behavior during transportation remains limited. This study established finite element representations of molded pulp packaging structural cells and developed a spring–mass dynamic model that incorporates the parameters of the packaged product. The proposed model can predict the combined modal characteristics of molded pulp packaging and the protected item while significantly reducing the computational requirements compared with traditional FEM (finite element method) analyses. Experimental validation shows that the prediction error of the first order modal frequency is approximately 6%, which meets the actual needs. The model provides a foundation for the subsequent optimization of molded pulp structures under road transport conditions.
Technical Abstracts
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