Comparative study of cellulose nanofiber blending effect on properties of paper made from bleached bagasse, hardwood and softwood pulps

Abstract

Cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) offer the motivational prospective for a native fibrous constituent that can exceed the mechanical performance of plant fibers in current use for commercial products. In this research work, CNFs were prepared with an increased extent of mechanical refining from bleached bagasse, hardwood and softwood pulp fibers. These prepared CNFs were investigated by using the FE-SEM technique. During the increased refining process, partial fibrillation on the fiber surfaces was created, and these fibers were converted from the micro- to nano-scale through nanofibrillation. This shows the significant effect on the tensile, burst and tear strengths of paper made from unrefined and refined fibers. However, the optical properties remained almost constant with increases of the percentage of CNF and decreased significantly with increases of the refining intensity due to fiber damage. The strength properties of reinforced paper sheets were greater than those of paper sheets without reinforcement. The main drawback of this process is that the drainage time is longer with an increasing percentage of CNF in refined and unrefined pulp fibers.