Effect of PCC Pretreatment with PAM on the Paper Properties

Abstract

The study on the pretreatment of PCC with PAM (polyacrylamide) was carried out as a part of solving the problem of decreasing the paper strength due to the increase of the filler usage. Anionic PAM was used for pretreatment of PCC, and the average particle size and specific surface area of PCC were measured by PAM dosage. A combination of anionic and cationic PAM was also applied to observe PCC particle size changes. Filler loading experiments were carried out using pretreated PCCs under selected conditions and the changes in paper properties were investigated. The PCC average particle size increased to 103.5 ㎛ as the anionic PAM dosage increased to 0.1%, then decreased, and the specific surface area of PCC showed the opposite. When using anionic and cationic PAM combinations, the average particle size of PCC was determined by the amount of anionic PAM. When PCC pretreated with 0.1% anionic PAM was used as a filler, the bulk, tensile index and burst index increased 3.3%, 4.89%, and 24.2%, respectively, while the ash content was increased by about 5%. Therefore, it is expected that PCC pretreatment using anionic PAM can be used as a useful means for improving paper properties.