Everything About Wood: Coaggregation of mineral filler particles and starch granules as a basis for improving filler-fiber interaction in paper production

Tuesday 21 June 2016

Coaggregation of mineral filler particles and starch granules as a basis for improving filler-fiber interaction in paper production

Published Date
20 September 2016, Vol.149:20–27, doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2016.04.082

Title
Coaggregation of mineral filler particles and starch granules as a basis for improving filler-fiber interaction in paper production

Author

Ting Li^a,1

Jun Fan^a,1

Wensen Chen^a

Jiayan Shu^a

Xueren Qian^a

Haifeng Wei^c

Qingwen Wang^a,b

Jing Shen^a,^,

aKey Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
bCollege of Materials and Energy, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
cJiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212003, China

Received 24 February 2016. Revised 14 April 2016. Accepted 20 April 2016. Available online 22 April 2016.

Highlights

•
A concept for improving filler-fiber interactions is presented.
•
The concept involves the formation of starch-mineral hybrids by coaggregation.
•
Preaggregation resulted in enhanced filler bondability with cellulosic fibers.

Abstract

The sustainable, efficient use of renewable bio-based additives in the production of various materials fits well into the concept of sustainability. Here, the concept of coaggregation of mineral filler particles and starch granules for improving filler-fiber interaction in paper-based cellulosic networks is presented. Coaggregation of precipitated calcium carbonate filler particles and uncooked, unmodified corn starch granules by cationic polyacrylamide (a cationic high molecular weight polymer flocculant) in combination with bentonite (an anionic microparticle) prior to addition to cellulosic fiber slurry delivered enhanced filler bondability with cellulosic fibers. For instance, under the conditions studied, preaggregation resulted in an increase in filler bondability factor from 9.24 to 15.21 at starch dosage of 1% (on the basis of the dry weight of papermaking stock). The swelling and gelatinization of the starch granules in starch-filler preaggregates or hybrids enabled the “bridging” of the gaps in cellulosic networks, leading to structural consolidation and strength enhancement.