Papermaking Industry Research Articles

Development of High Resistance Hot Mix Asphalt with Electric Arc Furnace Slag, Ladle Furnace Slag, and Cellulose Fibers from the Papermaking Industry

Roads are currently essential links of communication and economic development. However, these roads are progressively requiring higher quality materials, implying a greater impact on the environment, in order to withstand the high levels of heavy vehicle traffic. Therefore, this research proposes the use of industrial by-products to create bituminous mixtures which are more resistant and durable than traditional ones. The industrial by-products used, are electric arc furnace slag, ladle furnace slag, and cellulose fibers from the papermaking industry. These by-products were physically and chemically characterized to be used to conform with bituminous mixtures. At the same time, bituminous mixtures were conformed with conventional materials, thus being able to compare the physical and mechanical properties of the conformed mixtures through different tests. The results showed how the use of cellulose fibers made it possible to absorb a greater percentage of bitumen, as well as the use of electric arc furnace slag and ladle furnace slag created mixtures, with greater Marshall stability. Therefore, sustainable, durable, resistant, and high waste mixtures were developed in this investigation.

Distribution of Triarrhena lutarioriparia and its reserve characteristics of nitrogen and phosphorus in Dongting Lake

Triarrhena lutarioriparia, a typical and most abundant macrophyte in Dongting lake wetland, was in the state of abandonment following the papermaking industry revocation in the lake basin. In order to provide scientific basis for precise management of T. lutarioriparia, the T. lutarioriparia distribution charateristics in Dongting Lake and its storage characteristics of nutrients were investigated in this study. Remote sensing interpretation results showed that the total area of T. lutarioriparia in Dongting Lake wetland was 58, 450 ha, 48.31% of which distributed in South Doting Lake wetlands. The nutrients contents were significantly different in T. lutarioriparia tissues, ranking in the descending order of spikes (TN 27.90 mg/g, TP 3.46 mg/g)>leaves (TN 16.38 mg/g, TP 2.11 mg/g)>stems (TN 5.38 mg/g, TP 0.85 mg/g). The total P quantities in each T. lutarioriparia tissue were ranked in the order: stems (560.26 t)>leaves (396.52 t)>spikes (284.67 t), while the total N quantities were within the range of 2170.02-2801.3 t. It was estimated that about 7712.99 t of TN and 1241.45 t of TP were annually removed from Dongting Lake by reaping T. lutarioriparia. The nutrients stored in the dead tissues of T. lutarioriparia might possess non-negligible impact on the water quality of Doting Lake.

Enhancement of lignin-based carbon quantum dots from poplar pre-hydrolysis liquor on photocatalytic CO2 reduction via TiO2 nanosheets

Reasonable utilization of lignin in pre-hydrolysis liquor (PHL) is very important for the economic benefit of papermaking industry. In this paper, lignin in poplar pre-hydrolysis liquor (PHL) was effectively adsorbed by TiO2 nanosheets, realizing the purification of PHL. Subsequently, lignin was carbonized via thermal desorption for forming the carbon quantum dots immobilized on TiO2 nanosheets surface, which can improve both the separation efficiency of photogenerated carrier and CO2 adsorption capacity of TiO2, as a result the efficiency of photocatalytic CO2 reduction of C/TiO2 increased 300 % compared to the TiO2.

Chemical and Fibre Properties by Lemon Grass in Chemical Pulping for Pulp Industry

Malaysia has a high rate of depleting forest activities than any other tropical countries in the world. This lead to an increasing of pollution and loss of forest trees include animal to our nature. Lemon grasses as a substitute material from non-wood material had been choose for pulp and papermaking industry. This study was going through the chemical composition analysis and fibre properties for lemon grass pulp. These conclude that lemon grass had a high percentage of cellulose; with a low lignin content; good fibre length by TAPPI method. Thus, lemon grass has a potential to be alternative material for becoming waste-wealth product especially for Malaysia’s pulp and papermaking industry.

Evaluation of Pulp from Napier Grass by Biochemical Pulping For Paper Industry

Malaysia has high rates of accelerating faster on depleting activities compared any other tropical countries in the world. This problem also affects the economic losses of some countries that face deforestation. To overcome this, Napier grass from non-wood was chosen between new methods by xylanase enzyme treatment for pulp production. This study going through the morphological characterization, pulpability at kappa number and the characteristic for biochemical pulping process. These conclude that biochemical had a high percentage of pulp yields; with a low screening rejects; good Kappa number by TAPPI method. Thus, xylanase enzyme has a potential to be sub-treatment for Malaysia’s pulp and papermaking industry to produce a good waste-wealth product in future.

Evaluation of the Use of Electric Arc Furnace Slag and Ladle Furnace Slag in Stone Mastic Asphalt Mixes with Discarded Cellulose Fibers from the Papermaking Industry

The construction sector is one of the most demanding of raw materials that exist at present. In turn, the greenhouse gas emissions that it produces are important. Therefore, at present there are several lines of research in which industrial by-products are incorporated for the manufacture of bituminous mixtures and the reduction of CO2 emissions, framed inside the circular economy. On the base of the aforementioned, in this research, bituminous mixtures of the Stone Mastic Asphalt type were developed with electric arc furnace slag, ladle furnace slag and discarded cellulose fibers from the papermaking industry. To this end, the waste is first characterized physically and chemically, and its properties evaluated for use in bituminous mixtures. Later, different groups of samples are conformed with conventional materials and with the waste in order to be able to compare the physical and mechanical properties of the obtained bituminous mixtures. The physical tests carried out were bulk density, maximum density and void index, as well as the Marshall test for the evaluation of the strength and plastic deformations of all the bituminous mixtures manufactured. The study and evaluation of the results showed that the incorporation of slag makes it possible to absorb a greater percentage of bitumen and obtain better mechanical properties, while maintaining a similar deformation and void content. Therefore, it is feasible to use the mentioned slags to create sustainable, resistant and suitable pavements for important traffic.

Valorization of Wheat Straw for the Paper Industry: Pre-extraction of Reducing Sugars and Its Effect on Pulping and Papermaking Properties.

Cleaner production of sugars and pulp from renewable feedstocks has captured significant scientific attention in the recent past because they can be used for various end applications. In the papermaking industry, a major fraction of hemicellulosic sugars is lost during the pulping. The present study aims at retrieving these hemicellulosic sugars through alkali-, hot-water-, and acid-mediated extraction prior to pulping, which otherwise would have been lost during pulping and washing of pulp. These retrieved sugars can be used as feedstocks for renewable energy and value-added products. Different pretreatments were applied, aided with varying temperature, chemical concentrations, and time. Substantial amounts of total reducing sugars (TRSs) up to 21.98, 13.2, and 15.01% were extracted prior to pulping by acid, alkali, and hot-water pretreatments. Compositions of mono sugars present in the treated liquor were also characterized and confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. The morphological changes in the wheat straw after pre-extraction were studied using the field emission gun scanning electron microscopy technique. Pulping of untreated and pretreated wheat straw was carried out at different alkali charges (12, 14, and 16% NaOH). Among all, acid-pretreated straw showed an increase in pulp yield by 10.9% at a 16% alkali charge. Physical strength properties of different pulps were further examined. Alkali- and hot-water-pretreated straw pulp retained 94.26 and 83.16% tensile indices and 92.43 and 87.02% burst indices, respectively. An increase in tear index up to 4.32, 2.01, and 2.30% for alkali-, hot-water-, and acid-pretreated straw pulp was achieved, respectively. Hot-water- and alkali-pretreated wheat straw was observed to be conducive for paper production. The integrated use of wheat straw for extraction of underutilized sugars and pulp production in this way may serve as a key stepping stone for future biorefinery designs in pulp and paper mills.

Alkali lignin and sodium lignosulfonate additives promote the formation of humic substances during paper mill sludge composting

Alkali lignin (AL) and sodium lignosulfonate (SLS) are by-products of the papermaking industry and could influence composting processes due to their rich aromatic structures. In this study, the roles of AL and SLS additives in the formation of humic substances (HS) during paper mill sludge composting were investigated. Results showed that HS content and degree of polymerization of the final products in AL (44.42 mg·g−1 and 0.70, respectively) and SLS (45.87 mg·g−1 and 1.14, respectively) treatments were appreciably higher than those of the control sample (34.36 mg·g−1 and 0.67). Excitation-emission matrix-parallel factor coupled with two-dimensional FT-IR correlation spectroscopy analysis suggested that AL and SLS additives could speed the transformation of quinone-like substances by increasing the amounts of low molecular weight lignin depolymerized products, which led to higher HS concentrations. This work provided a way of promoting HS formation and the comprehensive utilization of papermaking wastes.

Deal or no deal on water-saving program? Exploring the optimal interval for government subsidies and internal incentives.

Water resources can be soon exhausted with the overdeveloped industrialization. High-water-consumption (HWC) industries and their supply chains are trying to reduce water consumption in the production process. These water-saving behaviors and effects may be subsidized by the government to pursue the goal of social welfare maximization (SWM). In this context, to investigate when to bring in government subsidy for any water-saving behaviors and effects to maximize the social welfare, six game-theoretical decision models for the water-saving supply chain under three scenarios are developed, analyzed, and compared, and the corresponding numerical and sensitivity analyses of water-saving case in the papermaking industry are conducted and compared; on this basis, the corresponding policy implications and managerial insights are discussed and summarized in this article. The research results indicate that the supply chain would only have internal incentive to implement water-saving management under low- or medium-cost case, while the government would only have external incentive to subsidize water-saving behaviors and effects under medium-cost case. Besides, the coordination strategy outperforms the equilibrium strategy regarding the water-saving effects, operational performances, social welfare, consumer surplus, and positive externality for the water-saving supply chain under all three scenarios. Furthermore, a kind of niche targeting subsidy policy based on actual water-saving effect that the government only subsidizes the water-saving supply chain operating under coordination strategy with medium water-saving cost structure can achieve social welfare maximization, operational performance improvement, and positive externality enhancement. PRACTITIONER POINTS: The optimal interval for internal incentives of water-saving is explored. The optimal interval for government subsidies of water-saving is investigated. The optimal operational strategy for the water-saving supply chain is examined.

Preparation of an amphoteric lignin copolymer and its value in the papermaking industry

Lignin biomass is an important renewable woody material that can be converted into high value-added products through physical and chemical reactions, such as paper strength additives. In this study, a cationic methacryloyloxyethyl trimethylammonium chloride monomer (DMC) and anionic acrylic monomer (AA) were grafted onto softwood kraft lignin through free radical polymerization to prepare an amphoteric lignin copolymer. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR), elemental analysis, and charge density analysis methods confirmed that the anionic and cationic monomers were successfully grafted onto the lignin. The grafting ratios of AA and DMC monomer in the lignin-DMC-AA copolymer were 62.4% and 51.3%, respectively. The application of lignin-DMC-AA copolymer as a paper additive for enhancing the physical properties of paper sheets was studied in the papermaking industry. The results indicated that the copolymer had a maximum increase in physical strength at around 2 wt% lignin-DMC-AA. The amount absorbed on the fibers was 18.5 mg/g, and the retention of the lignin-DMC-AA copolymer was over 90%.

New insights from probabilistic modelling of corrosion in structural reliability analysis

Infrastructure intended to contain or exclude fluids or gasses, or reinforced with glass or other fibres may be subject to failure caused by pitting corrosion of the containment system or of the reinforcement. To assess the reliability of the infrastructure then requires probabilistic models for the deterioration processes involved. Typically the critical deterioration is through localized pitting and in particular the most extreme pit depth as this governs containment capability and also fibre strength. The ‘arch-typical’ distribution for representing maximum pit depth is the Gumbel extreme value distribution, for which complying data plot linearly on a so-called Gumbel plot. However, there is increasing evidence that large, homogeneous datasets show significant deviations from linearity. This is demonstrated for steel plates continuously immersed in seawater, for the interior corrosion of water injection pipelines and for crude oil production pipelines. Further examples are given for the maximum pit depth on stainless steel rollers in the papermaking industry and for localized corrosion of glass fibre reinforcement in concrete structures. In each case the non-linear trends obtained permit a re-interpretation of, and new insights for, the underlying physico-chemical-material mechanisms. The results are important for accurate representation of deterioration processes and for best-practice structural reliability analyses.

Pulsed electric field assisted modification of octenyl succinylated potato starch and its influence on pasting properties

The physicochemical properties and structural changes of potato starch esterified with octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA) assisted with pulsed electric field (PEF) were investigated. Results showed that PEF treatment during esterification resulted in a significant modification of pasting properties. The pasting temperature at 2–6 kV/cm reduced by 7.6–15.1 °C for PEF-assisted OSA starches but only by 3 °C for OSA modified starch without PEF treatment as compared to that of native starch. PEF-assisted esterification could reduce the reaction time and improve the reaction efficiency over the control by 6.1–39.1 %. A novel schematic model on structure-functionality relationship for PEF-assisted OSA modified starch was proposed. Structural disorganizations of starch induced lower pasting temperature and paste viscosity. The results suggest that PEF could be a potential eco-friendly and cost-effective physical technique to prepare starch products with desired paste behaviors and to broaden its application area especially in papermaking and textile industries.

One-step purification of two novel thermotolerant \u03b2-1,4-glucosidases from a newly isolated strain of Fusarium chlamydosporum HML278 and their characterization

A newly identified cellulase-producing Fusarium chlamydosporum HML278 was cultivated under solid-state fermentation of sugarcane bagasse, and two new β-glucosides enzymes (BG FH1, BG FH2) were recovered from fermentation solution by modified non-denaturing active gel electrophoresis and gel filtration chromatography. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that the molecular weight of BG FH1 and BG FH2 was 93 kDa and 52 kDa, respectively, and the enzyme activity was 5.6 U/mg and 11.5 U/mg, respectively. The optimal reaction temperature of the enzymes was 60 ℃, and the enzymes were stable with a temperature lower than 70 ℃. The optimal pH of the purified enzymes was 6.0, and the enzymes were stable between pH 4–10. Km and Vmax values ​​were 2.76 mg/mL and 20.6 U/mg for pNPG, respectively. Thin-layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography analysis showed that BG FH1and BG FH2 had hydrolysis activity toward cellobiose and could hydrolyze cellobiose into glucose. In addition, both enzymes exhibited transglycoside activity, which could use glucose to synthesize cellobiose and cellotriose, and preferentially synthesize alcohol. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that F. chlamydosporum HML278 produces heat-resistant β-glucosidases with both hydrolytic activity and transglycosidic activity, and these β-glucosidases have potential application in bioethanol and papermaking industries.

Development of Porous Asphalt with Bitumen Emulsion, Electric arc Furnace Slag and Cellulose Fibers for Medium Traffic Roads

The construction of road infrastructure is one of the most polluting activities that exists today. Therefore, the use of waste from other industries is an excellent solution, since it reduces the consumption of raw materials, reduces CO2 emissions and avoids the disposal of waste in a landfill. In this study, electric arc furnace slag, cellulose fibers from the papermaking industry and bitumen emulsion were used for the conformation of sustainable and porous bituminous mixtures. Electric arc furnace slag was used as a high-resistance aggregate with a capacity sufficient to support traffic loads. Cellulose fibers were added to increase the percentage of binder in the mixture without bleeding problems, thereby achieving greater tensile strength. To do this, first the waste was physically and chemically characterized, then different mixtures were conformed and finally the mixtures were studied by means of the loss by wear and Marshall tests. The results reflected an optimal combination of materials that provided the best results in the mechanical tests, obtaining much better results than the mixtures with discontinuous grading and traditional bitumen emulsion. Therefore, a sustainable, porous and economical mixture for road use is obtained in this research.

Fusion expression of β-mannanase Man5A and xylanase Tlxyn11B in Pichia pastoris

Mannanase and xylanase, the main hemicellulolytic enzymes, are widely used in food, feed, textile and papermaking industries, and usually they are used in combination. Mannanase Man5A from Talaromyces leycettanus JCM12802 consist of the carbohydrate binding module (CBM), linker region and catalytic domain. The CBM coding region of Man5A was removed and fused to C-terminal of the xylanase gene Tlxyn11B. The fusion gene Tlxyn11B-linker-man5A was successfully expressed in Pichia pastoris and the fusion protein Tlxyn11B-Man5A was purified and characterized. The theoretical molecular weights of Tlxyn11B, Man5A without CBM region, and Tlxyn11B-Man5A are 21.6 kDa, 41.0 kDa, and 62.6 kDa, respectively. The fusion protein had high xylanase and mannanase activities. The optimal temperature of the fused xylanase is 70 °C, which is 5 °C higher than Tlxyn11B-w (xylanase before fusion). The fused mannanase exhibited maximal activity at 90 °C, which is similar to Man5A-w (mannanase before fusion). More than 48% of xylanase activity of Tlxyn11B-Man5A was residual after the condition of 60 °C with 1 h, which is significantly higher than Tlxyn11B-w (only 20% of activity was left at 60 °C for 20 minutes). The optimal pHs of Tlxyn11B-Man5A for xylanase and mannanase activity are 4.0 and 5.0, respectively, which are 0.5 and 1.0 units higher than those of Tlxyn11B-w and Man5A-w. The pH range of fused enzymes got wider and the pH stability is improved. The specific activities of xylanase and mannanase of Tlxyn11B-Man5A are 1 784.3 U/mg and 1 639.6 U/mg, respectively, which is lower than those of Tlxyn11B and Man5A (8 300.0 U/mg and 1 979.0 U/mg). It may be due to of the high molecular weight of fusion enzyme. The Km and Vmax of the fused xylanase and mannanase are 1.2 mg/mL and 1.7 mg/mL, 2 000.0 μmol/(min·mg) and 2 831.6 μmol/(min·mg), respectively. Tlxyn11B and Man5A were successfully fusion expressed in P. pastoris, and the good properties of fusion of xylanase and mannanase make it has great application potential in animal feed, food and other industrial production, and it provided new ideas for the improvement of enzyme performance.

Electrodialytic Desalination of Tobacco Sheet Extract: Membrane Fouling Mechanism and Mitigation Strategies.

In the papermaking industry (reconstituted tobacco), a large number of tobacco stems, dust, and fines are discharged in the wastewater. This high salinity wastewater rich in ionic constituents and nicotine is difficult to be degraded by conventional biological treatment and is a serious threat that needs to be overcome. Electrodialysis (ED) has proved a feasible technique to remove the inorganic components in the papermaking wastewater. However, the fouling in ion exchange membranes causes deterioration of membranes, which causes a decrease in the flux and an increase in the electrical resistance of the membranes. In this study, the fouling potential of the membranes was analyzed by comparing the properties of the pristine and fouled ion exchange membranes. The physical and chemical properties of the ion exchange membranes were investigated in terms of electrical resistance, water content, and ion exchange capacity, as well as studied by infrared spectroscopy (IR) spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analyses. The results indicated that the membrane fouling is caused by two different mechanisms. For the anion exchange membranes, the fouling is mainly caused by the charged organic anions. For the cation exchange membrane, the fouling is caused by minerals such as Ca2+ and Mg2+. These metal ions reacted with OH− ions generated by water dissociation and precipitated on the membrane surface. The chemical cleaning with alkaline and acid could mitigate the fouling potential of the ion exchange membranes.

Comparative Study on Pretreatment Processes for Different Utilization Purposes of Switchgrass.

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum, L., Poaceae) with the advantages of high cellulose yield, and high growth even under low input and poor soil quality, has been identified as a promising candidate for production of low-cost biofuels, papermaking, and nanocellulose. In this study, 12 chemical pretreatments on a laboratory scale were compared for different utilization purposes of switchgrass. It was found that the pretreated switchgrass with sodium hydroxide showed considerable potential for providing mixed sugars for fermentation with 11.10% of residual lignin, 53.85% of residual cellulose, and 22.06% of residual hemicellulose. The pretreatment with 2.00% (v/v) nitric acid was the best method to remove 78.37% of hemicellulose and 39.82% of lignin under a low temperature (125 °C, 30 min), which can be used in the production of nanocellulose. Besides, a completely randomized design analysis of switchgrass pretreatments provided the alternative ethanol organosolv delignification of switchgrass for the papermaking industry with a high residual cellulose of 58.56%. Finally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were carried out to confirm the changes in functional groups, crystallinity, and thermal behavior of the three materials, respectively, from the optimal pretreatments.

Combustion characteristics of bamboo lignin from kraft pulping: Influence of washing process

Abstract To effectively operate burning system of lignin residues from bamboo papermaking factories to provide heating, the calorific value, proximate and ultimate analysis of lignin samples with different washing processes were determined. Their combustion properties were also investigated by TGA Q500 at different heating rates. The results showed that washing processes changed fuel properties of lignin samples. The ash content decreased and the volatile content increased during washing process. They had a different content of C, H, O, N, S and calorific value. The effect of acid-soluble and acid-insoluble lignin on calorific value was not significant. Even though combustion process of all lignin samples included four stages, about 41–65% of weight loss occurred at the IV stage. The combustion characteristics and kinetics of lignin samples also varied at different heating rates. This research will provide scientific guideline for utilization of lignin residues from the bamboo papermaking industry as a biofuel.

Characterization of residues from non-woody pulping process and its function as fertilizer

Pulping and paper industries using non-woody feedstocks face the challenge of its notorious waste disposal problem. To resolve this problem, in this study, we evaluated a variety of properties of solid residues reclaimed from the effluents of both wheat straw ammonium sulfate and Kraft pulping processes as organic fertilizers. The results show that both residues from the ammonium sulfate (RAS) and Kraft pulping (RKP) processes possess desirable C/N ratios, appropriate nutritional compositions, and low levels of harmful heavy metals. The high solubilities (>35 g/L) of both residues allow their use for fertigation or foliar applications. The salt index (30–50) is within the range of commercial chemical fertilizers such as potassium sulfate (42.6) and magnum sulfate (44). The E3/E5 ratios of residues suggest that the residues have small molecular sizes, which are similar to fulvic acids. Overall, wheat straw pulping residues demonstrate the potential as the sustainable organic fertilizers and the beneficial soil amendments. This work has the potential to resolve the severer effluent disposal problem faced by the non-woody pulping and papermaking industries, open a door to effectively utilize residues as value-added byproducts, and lead to both environmental sustainability and economic benefits.

Methodologies of Removal of Dyes from Wastewater: A Review

Dyes have been used in several industries, like paper-making, textiles, plastic, leather tanning, cosmetic and foods industries since Eighteenth century. Effluents containing dyes reduce the penetration of sunlight into natural bodies of water, thus leading to a decrease of both photosynthetic activity and the concentration of dissolved oxygen. The presence of dyes in watercourses is both aesthetically unacceptable and also toxic to aquatic ecosystem and human health. The effluent treatment technologies being used now a days for removal of dyes from wastewater includes coagulation, biological methods, adsorption, advanced oxidation processes, membrane technology, electrochemical methods, nano technology etc. In this review, extensive information is presented with regard to different techniques adopted for dyes removal from the available literature.