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Characterization of fiber development in high- and low-consistency refining of primary mechanical pulp

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Published/Copyright: March 14, 2013
Holzforschung
From the journal Holzforschung Volume 67 Issue 7

Abstract

Primary refined softwood was subjected to high-consistency (HC) or low-consistency (LC) secondary refining, and the nature of the development of the internal and external fiber microstructure and ultrastructure has been compared. The primary refining of mixed softwood as a raw material was performed in pilot scale by the advanced thermomechanical pulp process. The study was aiming at the comparative characterization of LC and HC pulps at the fiber level when produced with similar and well-characterized handsheet properties. The formerly described Simons’ staining method was applied. A significant degree of fiber wall delamination/internal fibrillation (D/IF) was observed during both LC and HC refining. Both the energy input and the refining consistency had a significant impact on elevating the degree of fiber wall D/IF. The statistical evaluation of internal fiber development indicated that the fiber populations in LC- and HC-refined pulps had a similar degree of fiber wall D/IF despite having a large difference in refining energy input (420 kW h odt-1), confirming that D/IF was promoted more energy-efficiently in LC than in HC refining. The characteristic of the external fiber development from HC and LC refining was very different. Secondary LC refining promoted fiber surfaces with ribbons of thin hairlike threads arising from the inner secondary S2 layer that occasionally developed along the whole fiber length. Broad sheet- and lamellae-type external fibrillation from the S2 was typical for HC refining, and these characteristics were rarely observed in the LC pulps. The mechanisms for LC and HC fiber development are proposed. The cell wall characteristics (internal and external) of the pulp fibers appear to govern most of the physical and optical properties in handsheets.

Keywords: ATMP; delamination/internal fibrillation (D/IF); fiber characterization; fiber development; surface ultrastructure of fibers; HC refining; LC refining; SEM; Simons’ staining
Corresponding author: Dinesh Fernando, Department of Forest Products/Wood Science, Wood Ultrastructure Research Centre (WURC), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden, e-mail:

Our work was carried out within the framework of the “Branschforskningsprogram för skogs- och träindustrin” and “Process and product developments through unique knowledge of wood fiber ultrastructure” (2007–03230). The program is financed by VINNOVA, six forest-based industries (Eka Chemicals, Holmen, SCA, Smurfit Kappa Kraftliner, StoraEnso and Södra Cell), and involves collaborative work among SLU, Innventia, KTH, and MSU. The authors would like to express their gratitude to the staff of The University of British Columbia Pulp and Paper Centre and the Andritz pilot plant in Springfield, OH, especially Dr. Antti Luukkonen. Dr. Jens Heymer (Aikawa Fiber Technologies) and Prof. James Olson (The University of British Columbia Pulp and Paper Centre) are acknowledged for their advice and support during the LC refining trials. Jan Hill (QualTech AB) is acknowledged for valuable comments on the article. Dmitri Gorski would also like to acknowledge the financial support of Gålöstiftelsen, Hans Werthén Fonden, and Jansons Legat who all contributed to his postdoctoral at The University of British Columbia.

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Received: 2012-8-13
Accepted: 2013-2-11
Published Online: 2013-03-14
Published in Print: 2013-10-01

©2013 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Masthead
  2. Masthead
  3. Reviews
  4. Influence of the moisture content on the fracture characteristics of welded wood joint. Part 1: Mode I fracture
  5. Influence of the moisture content on the fracture characteristics of welded wood joint. Part 2: Mode II fracture
  6. Original Articles
  7. Molecular weight distributions of acetylated lignocellulosic biomasses recovered from an ionic liquid system
  8. Multivariate-parameter optimization of the alkaline peroxide mechanical pulp (APMP) process for larch (Larix gmelinii Rupr.) using Box-Behnken design
  9. Characterization of fiber development in high- and low-consistency refining of primary mechanical pulp
  10. Mechanical performance of yew (Taxus baccata L.) from a longbow perspective
  11. Predicting Douglas-fir wood density by artificial neural networks (ANN) based on progeny testing information
  12. The influence of lathe check depth and orientation on the bond quality of phenol-formaldehyde – bonded birch plywood
  13. Fire resistance of wood treated with various ionic liquids (ILs)
  14. Evaluation of cell wall reinforcement in feather keratin-treated waterlogged wood as imaged by synchrotron X-ray microtomography (μXRT) and TEM
  15. Drying of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) timber in oscillation climates: drying time and quality
  16. Quantification of mobilized copper(II) levels in micronized copper-treated wood by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy
  17. Condensed conifer tannins as antifungal agents in liquid culture
  18. Meetings
  19. Meetings
https://doi.org/10.1515/hf-2012-0135
Keywords for this article
ATMP; delamination/internal fibrillation (D/IF); fiber characterization; fiber development; surface ultrastructure of fibers; HC refining; LC refining; SEM; Simons’ staining

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Masthead
  2. Masthead
  3. Reviews
  4. Influence of the moisture content on the fracture characteristics of welded wood joint. Part 1: Mode I fracture
  5. Influence of the moisture content on the fracture characteristics of welded wood joint. Part 2: Mode II fracture
  6. Original Articles
  7. Molecular weight distributions of acetylated lignocellulosic biomasses recovered from an ionic liquid system
  8. Multivariate-parameter optimization of the alkaline peroxide mechanical pulp (APMP) process for larch (Larix gmelinii Rupr.) using Box-Behnken design
  9. Characterization of fiber development in high- and low-consistency refining of primary mechanical pulp
  10. Mechanical performance of yew (Taxus baccata L.) from a longbow perspective
  11. Predicting Douglas-fir wood density by artificial neural networks (ANN) based on progeny testing information
  12. The influence of lathe check depth and orientation on the bond quality of phenol-formaldehyde – bonded birch plywood
  13. Fire resistance of wood treated with various ionic liquids (ILs)
  14. Evaluation of cell wall reinforcement in feather keratin-treated waterlogged wood as imaged by synchrotron X-ray microtomography (μXRT) and TEM
  15. Drying of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) timber in oscillation climates: drying time and quality
  16. Quantification of mobilized copper(II) levels in micronized copper-treated wood by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy
  17. Condensed conifer tannins as antifungal agents in liquid culture
  18. Meetings
  19. Meetings
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