Computational Simulation Tools to Support the Tissue Paper Furnish Management: Case Studies for the Optimization of Micro/Nano Cellulose Fibers and Polymer-Based Additives.

Flávia P Morais,Maria E Amaral,Joana M R Curto,Ana M M S Carta

doi:10.3390/polym13223982

Flávia P Morais, Maria E Amaral + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13223982

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Journal: Polymers	Publication Date: Nov 18, 2021
Citations: 2	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Beira Interior, University of Coimbra

Abstract

Tissue paper production frequently combines two main types of raw materials: cellulose fibers from renewable sources and polymer-based additives. The development of premium products with improved properties and functionalities depends on the optimization of both. This work focused on the combination of innovative experimental and computational strategies to optimize furnish. The main goal was to improve the functional properties of the most suitable raw materials for tissue materials and develop new differentiating products with innovative features. The experimental plan included as inputs different fiber mixtures, micro/nano fibrillated cellulose, and biopolymer additives, and enzymatic and mechanical process operations. We present an innovative tissue paper simulator, the SimTissue, that we have developed, to establish the correlations between the tissue paper process inputs and the end-use paper properties. Case studies with industrial interest are presented in which the tissue simulator was used to design tissue paper materials with different fiber mixtures, fiber modification treatments, micro/nano fibrillated cellulose, and biopolymer formulations, and to estimate tissue softness, strength, and absorption properties. The SimTissue was able to predict and optimize a broader range of formulations containing micro/nanocellulose fibers, biopolymer additives, and treated-fiber mixtures, saving laboratory and industrial resources.

Highlights

Furnish optimization is a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) challenge, mainly due to the different fiber and structure properties and the influence of several process operations
It is important to emphasize the importance of these data to select the most suitable raw material to be optimized in the process modification steps
Through our SimTissue, we found that the balance between the properties of softness (65.0–69.3 HF), strength (14.5–15.9 Nm/g of the tensile index), and absorption (7.8–8.0 g/g of water absorption capacity and 38.3–39.5 mm of capillary rise) can be found with the incorporation of 5 to 15% of reinforcement fibers in tissue papers

Summary

Introduction

Furnish optimization is a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) challenge, mainly due to the different fiber and structure properties and the influence of several process operations. The use of computational tools constitutes an innovative strategy to enhance this type of polymeric materials, through three-dimensional (3D) modeling of fibers and structures. Tissue papers, such as toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, and facial tissue masks, are cellulose fibrous materials designed for personal hygiene and utility purposes. The properties required for the tissue materials, such as softness, strength, and absorption, and the production process steps, such as creping and converting, distinguish them from other cellulose-based materials [2,3,4,5,6]. The converting process includes diverse operations performed on base tissue paper sheets to develop a multi-layer finished product, ready to be placed on the market [3]

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