Enhancing the mechanical strength of corrugated medium paper through instant catapult steam explosion pretreatment of tobacco stem

Abstract

The decline in mechanical properties of secondary fiber upon multiple recycling iterations necessitates the incorporation of cost-effective and environmentally friendly fibers to counterbalance strength loss. In this study, an orthogonal experiment design was employed to optimize the SE process to acquire tabocco stem pulp (TSP). The study systematically investigated the influence of steam pressure, residence time, and alkali dosage employed during impregnation were investigated. Notably, the research identified alkali dosage as the most significant parameter impacting system performance. Under optimized conditions (1.2 MPa, 5 min, and 5 %), the prepared paper using 100 % TSP exhibited the capability to attain Grade C corrugated medium. TSP, subsequently, served as a compensatory material for mitigating the loss of strength observed in low-quality secondary fibers (LSF). Remarkably, the introduction of 20 wt% TSP resulted in the production of grade B products, showcasing exceptional enhancement in ring-crush strength. The breaking length of paper was increased with an additional 0.5 wt% PAE added, resulting in all criteria achieving the highest grade A. In conclusion, the study elucidated the synergistic and complementary effects of TSP and LSF, wherein stiff TSP fiber bundles formed a network that effectively supported LSF filling. This study identified the relationship between SE parameters and fiber properties, conclusively establishing waste tobacco stem as a quality fiber source conducive to producing high-quality paper.