The effect of guar gum and chitosan on fiber and fiber fine micromorphology in paper-process reconstituted tobacco pulp

Abstract

To study the effect of guar gum and chitosan on the micromorphology of tobacco pulp and the retention mechanism of different retention aids by the MorFi Compact fiber analyzer, changes in the micromorphology of the tobacco pulp fibers and the fiber fines were studied by adding different dosages of guar gum and chitosan. The results indicated that the retention mechanisms of guar gum and chitosan on fibers and fiber fines were different. Addition chitosan, components of pulp intertwined to form a spatial reticular through the neutralization effect that consists of tobacco fiber bundles, fiber fines and fillers. The reticular size increased, fiber fines (especially those below the detection limit) and fillers bonded with chitosan to combined with fiber and fiber fines. Guar gum wrapped the fiber through “nucleation and growth” to achieve the retention effect. Microstructures of the handsheets were observed using SEM, and the change in the fiber curl rate was analyzed to verify the effects of mechanisms of two different retention aids.