Synergistic effects between chemical mechanical pulps and chemical pulps from hardwoods

Abstract

Chemical pulps and chemical mechanical pulps from different hardwoods were compared for intrinsic and other pulp properties. Comparisons were made separately and in combination with these two types of pulps. The results showed that hardwood chemical mechanical pulps, such as preconditioned refiner chemical alkaline per-oxide mechanical pulp (P-RC APMP), can be developed to be as strong as chemical pulps, and have higher tensile at the same density, or higher bulk at the same tensile, compared with the chemical pulps. When combining pulps from the two processes, addition of certain percentages of hardwood chemical mechanical pulps to chemical pulp improved pulp intrinsic properties, and the resulting pulp blends had higher fiber bonding strength (tensile and tensile energy absorption) than the sum of weighted contributions from the individual components. This synergistic effect between the chemical and the chemical mechanical pulps may be used to improve papermaking processes and their paper and paperboard products.