Adding Aluminum Hydroxide to Plant Fibers Using In Situ Precipitation to Improve Heat Resistance

Abstract

Plant fiber is an environmentally friendly, renewable natural resource. It has several excellent properties such as a low density and high softness. These properties make it an especially good raw material for applications such as paper and construction. However, plant fiber has poor resistance to heat, which limits its application in high temperature conditions. Adding aluminum sulfate solution to plant fiber first, and then adding sodium hydroxide solution enables aluminum hydroxide to be distributed uniformly on the surface and interior of a plant fiber. This modification improves the thermo-stability of the plant fiber. Furthermore, compared with the traditional way of filling, using the fiber added aluminum hydroxide by in situ precipitation to make paper, the strength properties of the paper decreased slightly. By combining in situ precipitation with filling, more aluminum hydroxide could be added to the paper while still maintaining good paper strength and better heat resistance.