Effect of nano-cellulose on the improvement of the properties of paper newspaper produced from chemi-mechanical pulping

Abstract

The effect of nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) was investigated relative to the strength of chemi-mechanical pulp (CMP) and paper. The NFC was added at five levels: 0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8%. Handsheets with a basis weight of 60 g/m2 were prepared, and the physical properties (air resistance and surface roughness), the mechanical properties (tensile strength, burst strength, and tear strength), and the optical properties (brightness, opacity, and yellowness) were measured according to TAPPI standards. By increasing the NFC content, the tensile strength, burst strength, air resistance, brightness, and whiteness increased by 10.9%, 12.5%, 23.6%, 0.6%, 3.5%, and 6.8%, respectively, compared to the control (0% NFC) samples. By increasing the NFC content, the tear strength, roughness, and opacity decreased by 10.4%, 11.1%, and 0.6% compared to the control samples.