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Due to a shortage of resources, exploring new biomass fillers has become critical for paper making. In this study, we reported an eco-friendly strategy for fabricating low-cost and efficient recycled paper with high mechanical properties using corrugated cardboard waste paper and harmless municipal sludge (HMS). First, the characteristics of HMS, including the particle size, pH, specific surface area, organic functional groups and organic component content, were analyzed. Then, the influence of the amount of HMS on the properties of the recycled paper was studied. Finally, the strengthening mechanism of biomass filling recycled paper was discussed. The results showed that HMS, a biomass filler for recycled paper preparation, exhibited excellent physical and chemical properties, with a median particle size of 6.395 μm, a surface area of 39.974 m2 g−1 and organic functional groups. The tensile index of the recycled paper with 30 % HMS was 13.10 Nm/g, which was 16.4 % greater than that of the unfilled paper and showed better thermal stability. This excellent performance could be attributed to the uniform distribution of HMS on the fiber surface, which improved the accessibility of hydrogen bond formation between fibers. Thus, this study proved that HMS was an excellent biomass filler for producing recycled paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recycled paper has become increasingly used as a raw material in the paper industry. However, hornification limits its application. Herein, the effect of recycling on the mechanical properties and microstructure of khasi pine pulp was systematically studied. The mechanical properties deteriorated and water retention value decreased after recycling. X-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that cellulose crystallinity increased and partial cocrystallization occurred on cellulose microfibrils. Through the analysis of the morphology of secondary fibers by FQA, the loss of fine fibers caused by each reuse was found. Using the filtration method to prepare the recycled paper reduced the loss of fine fibers and improved the mechanical properties, with the tensile strength of a sample prepared using a sand core filter unit for five cycles (8.37 MPa) being like that of a sample prepared using a paper machine after one cycle. The investigation of the internal structure of the paper showed that the retained fine fibers were bonded between the long fibers, promoting the bonding between the fibers. Fine fibers improve the curling and twisting of fibers to some extent, especially in the first three recycling cycles. The hornification phenomenon of recycled paper was studied from the viewpoint of the fiber components, which is important to promote the development and application prospect of recycled paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complete utilization of different agricultural wastes is a great challenge before human society. The present study reports the valorization of rice straw for simultaneous production of reducing sugars and paper. The rice straw was first pre-extracted with water under different reaction conditions sequentially followed by papermaking. A maximum total reducing sugars (TRS) upto 12.38 % was extracted through aqueous pre-treatment. The pulped biomass was assessed for paper properties viz., tensile index, tear index, burst index, Kappa no. and brightness. For untreated rice straw tensile index, tear index and burst index were recorded within a range of 30.9–35.8 N m/g; 2.25–2.62 mN m2/g and 1.91–2.35 kN/g respectively where as it were ranged from 31.1 to 33.7 N m/g, 2.02–2.51 mN m2/g and 1.78–2.08 kN/g respectively for pretreated rice straw. Moreover, for untreated rice straw, kappa number and brightness were recorded in a range from 20.7 to 26.6 and 32.4 to 36.7 % ISO respectively, whereas for pre-treated rice straw it ranged from 19.1 to 26.3 and 31.6 to 35.5 % ISO respectively. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis and field emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) were further employed during the study. In overall, extraction of underutilized sugars prior to pulping may prove as an efficient route for apt utilization of sugars followed by papermaking in near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a cultural carrier of historical inheritance, paper has high cultural, historical and scientific research value. But with the passage of time and the change of the environment, many paper are aging and damaged. In order to protect the paper, CMC-β-CD composite material for paper protection was synthesized by carboxymethyl cellulose as substrate, epichlorohydrin (ECH) as crosslinking agent, sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as catalyst and solvent, and water as medium, β-cyclodextrin as grafter. Through single factor experiment, the synthetic condition was obtained. The structure of the synthesized materials was characterized by infrared spectroscopy; CMC-β-CD was applied to paper reinforcement. The effects of solution concentration on the tensile strength, tearing degree, folding times, whiteness and gloss of paper were tested, and the suitable conditions for coating paper were found. The results show that the mass concentration of 2 % CMC-β-CD is coated on paper, its mechanical properties are greatly improved, the gloss is slightly increased, and the whiteness is basically unchanged, which is in line with the principle of “repairing the old as the old”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foam-forming technique imparts ceramic fiber paper with excellent uniformity, low density, and high porosity, but its strength loss must be compensated. Herein, a flexible and rigid foam-formed ceramic fiber network was manufactured by using different strength improvement methods and simultaneously investigated their strength and thermal insulation properties. Sufficient strength (1136 kPa) was achieved by combining Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) 2 % and Polyester (PET) 3 %. However, the tensile strength of fiber networks would decrease under the contribution of inter-fiber bonding area reduced when the fiber length was longer than 24 mm. Benefiting from the developed flocculation system (aluminum sol-anionic polyacrylamide-carboxymethylcellulose), the strength of the foam-formed ceramic fiber network was 20 kPa, the retention rate increased from 75 % to 88 %, and the average aggregation factor of fillers in the Z direction was 0.67. By adjusting the ratio and Z-directional distribution of functional fillers, the sintered foam-formed paper with a tensile strength of 1300 kPa and compressive strength of 1000 kPa could be obtained. The thermal insulation performance (thermal conductivity 0.03252 W/(m·K)) was similar to the quartz fiber paper reinforced silica airgel, and the flame resistance was better than the commercialized aluminum silicate wool board. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of different hot air speeds and temperatures on the drying characteristics of half-ripe rice paper were investigated by hot air convection drying experiments. The thin-layer drying experiments were carried out at three different combinations of air speeds of 1.97 m/s, 3.00 m/s, and 3.90 m/s and temperatures of 85 °C, 100 °C and 115 °C. The results show that among the 10 drying kinetic models selected, the Modified Page model is the most suitable model to describe the drying characteristics of the thin layer of half-ripe rice paper; the whole drying process exists obvious ascending, constant and descending processes; the effective moisture diffusion coefficient of half-ripe rice paper is in the range of 1.52656 × 10−9 m2/s–3.15816 × 10−9 m2/s, whose size increases with the increase of the hot wind speed and temperature. Its magnitude increases with the increase of wind speed and temperature; the drying activation energy of half-ripe rice paper is 6.55 kJ/mol calculated by Arrhenius equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trace elements have a significant effect on biochemical reactions and therefore the presence of optimum levels of trace elements is essential for bioreactor performances. In this study, the effects of five trace elements on biomethane production have been investigated. Experimental studies have been carried out with multiple batch reactors at 15 day HRT and mesophilic temperatures. The optimum concentrations for each of the trace elements Fe, Cu, Ni, Co and Mg were found as 5, 0.5, 0.5, 0.5 and 100 mg/L, respectively. Among tested trace elements, Cu was the one which provided the highest biomethane production. Cu addition was resulted in a 46 % increase in biomethane production followed by Co with 24 %. The biomethane production rate for these two trace elements was 191.70 and 110.77 ml CH4/g COD, respectively. Optimum levels for Ni, Fe and Mg increased biomethane production rate by approximately 14.3, 10 and 17 % compared to control groups, respectively. Because the exact amount of trace element requirement for each industry/reactor is different, specific case studies should be performed for each application. These results could be used as initial trace element concentrations for further continuous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preparation of biodegradable mulch film with paper-based materials has become a significant focus in mulch film development due to the serious pollution caused by plastic mulch film. This study utilized the esterification cross-linking reaction of LA, PVA, and GA to coat the surface of paper as the substrate. FTIR, TGA, XRD, SEM, tensile testing, and oxygen, water vapor barrier performance tests were performed. The optimal conditions for film preparation were determined to be a 10 % PVA aqueous solution, 5 % GA content, and a PVA/LA/GA ratio of 1:2:1. The resulting film paper exhibited a dry strength of 6.52 kN/m, a wet strength of 0.23 kN/m, a tearing degree of 969.35 mN, a Cobb value of 12.04 g/m2, a water vapor transmission rate of 573.27 g m−2 24 h−1, and an oxygen transmission rate of 7.373 cm3 m−2 24 h−1. After a 6-week landfill degradation test, the film showed a degradation rate of 25.3 %, while still maintaining a tensile strength of 1.89 kN/m. Field application tests in greenhouses confirmed that the film paper facilitated the growth of strawberry, its mechanical and barrier properties suitable for a biodegradable paper mulch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this research is to evaluate the influence of coating based on cellulose micro/nanofibrils (CMF) and carboxylated styrene butadiene rubber (XSBR) on sack kraft paper, for possible use in packaging. Filmogenic solutions were applied manually as a coating on sack kraft paper. These solutions were prepared by suspensions of CMF 1.5 % w/v with the addition of different content of XSBR (0, 2, 10, and 20 % about the total mass of CMF). Uncoated sack kraft paper was used as control. Films were obtained by casting and characterized physically, morphologically, and mechanically. The results demonstrated that XSBR and CMF composite suspension showed good performance as a coating on sack kraft paper. The formation of homogeneous structures well distributed on paper can be observed on scanning electron microscope images. Coatings containing XSBR presented a smoother surface, less porosity and hydrophilicity, and a greater coalescence, with good properties of air resistance and water vapor permeability. However, regarding mechanical properties, there were no improvements in coated papers. Therefore, the present study contributed information on the development of more flexible and hydrophobic cellulosic papers for possible applications in the industrial packaging sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the rapid evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI), scientific publishing is experiencing significant transformations. AI tools, while offering unparalleled efficiencies in paper drafting and peer review, also introduce notable ethical concerns. This study delineates AI's dual role in scientific publishing: as a co-creator in the writing and review of scientific papers and as an ethical challenge. We first explore the potential of AI as an enhancer of efficiency, efficacy, and quality in creating scientific papers. A critical assessment follows, evaluating the risks vs. rewards for researchers, especially those early in their careers, emphasizing the need to maintain a balance between AI's capabilities and fostering independent reasoning and creativity. Subsequently, we delve into the ethical dilemmas of AI's involvement, particularly concerning originality, plagiarism, and preserving the genuine essence of scientific discourse. The evolving dynamics further highlight an overlooked aspect: the inadequate recognition of human reviewers in the academic community. With the increasing volume of scientific literature, tangible metrics and incentives for reviewers are proposed as essential to ensure a balanced academic environment. AI's incorporation in scientific publishing is promising yet comes with significant ethical and operational challenges. The role of human reviewers is accentuated, ensuring authenticity in an AI-influenced environment. As the scientific community treads the path of AI integration, a balanced symbiosis between AI's efficiency and human discernment is pivotal. Emphasizing human expertise, while exploit artificial intelligence responsibly, will determine the trajectory of an ethically sound and efficient AI-augmented future in scientific publishing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research explores the practical advantages and potential applications of spray adhesives, focusing on testing their suitability for artwork mounting uses. Their solubility in common low-toxicity solvents (ethanol and acetone) was evaluated. Seven commercial spray adhesives from different commercial brands and compositions were applied on paper samples and subjected to different ageing conditions. The samples were then immersed in the solvent, and the degree of adhesive removal was measured. One of the most relevant conclusions is that commercial neoprene-based spray adhesives become brittle and fragile in a few weeks, which makes them unsuitable for both long-term and temporary applications in the heritage field. On the other hand, the solubility was high or very high in some cases: up to 98 % of adhesive removal was achieved in acetone wash. These tests and the convenience, cost and availability of spray adhesives suggest that some of them may be safely used in some scenarios such as temporary mountings or transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study delves into the dynamic evolution of solids content in a pilot-scale through air drying tissue machine, aiming to enhance comprehension and refine optimization strategies for tissue manufacturing. It focuses on development of solids content throughout the process. Analyzing the interaction between process parameters and solids content provides deeper insights into water removal dynamics. The research employs solid contents monitoring techniques in pilot scale, offering a detailed view of solids content evolution from the wet web's inception to the final tissue product. It significantly highlights the impact of key parameters, particularly pulp refining, on solids content across all positions of the pilot machine. Additionally, the study emphasizes the influence of vacuum system configurations, identifying the relationship between energy expended in the vacuum system and evaporation energy. Furthermore, the results indicate that compression and air displacement dewatering in vacuum boxes are less speed-sensitive compared to heat-driven evaporation in the TAD- and Yankee cylinders. Solid contents at all positions in the tissue machine correlates between various dewatering elements. Optimizing site-specific dewatering and evaporation strategies can potentially save drying energy in the Yankee drying phase which hold promise for enhanced energy and resource utilization, aligning with demands for sustainable manufacturing practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluation of physical and mechanical heterogeneity in commercial paperboards is needed to promote their use in structural applications, especially within the field of packaging. Understanding the range of their behaviors is needed to compete with other materials in the current marketplace and expand in others. This work describes the physical and stiffness heterogeneities of twelve commercial materials using tensile tests in the cross-machine direction and several inverse analyses. The effects of grammage, thickness, and apparent density on tensile stiffness were evaluated in both the linear elastic and nonlinear regimes. Thickness and density provided the best explanation for elastic heterogeneous behavior in most of the materials; local grammage was not the best descriptor for any material. The analyses used here were not able to provide a good explanation of the nonlinear behavior, which was attributed to the development of large shear strains within the materials as they neared failure. This work provides a methodology for additional heterogeneous behavior examinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper mills, companies that write scientific papers and gain acceptance for them, then sell authorships of these papers, present a key challenge in medicine and other healthcare fields. This challenge is becoming more acute with artificial intelligence (AI), where AI writes the manuscripts and then the paper mills sell the authorships of these papers. The aim of the current research is to provide a method for detecting fake papers. The method reported in this article uses a machine learning approach to create decision trees to identify fake papers. The data were collected from Web of Science and multiple journals in various fields. The article presents a method to identify fake papers based on the results of decision trees. Use of this method in a case study indicated its effectiveness in identifying a fake paper. This method to identify fake papers is applicable for authors, editors, and publishers across fields to investigate a single paper or to conduct an analysis of a group of manuscripts. Clinicians and others can use this method to evaluate articles they find in a search to ensure they are not fake articles and instead report actual research that was peer reviewed prior to publication in a journal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Chinese paintings, the marriage of rice paper and ink is the soul of this art. Ink possesses a highly distinctive "color" expressiveness. By employing ink, various shades of black and diverse color effects can be portrayed, making the image more rich, vibrant, and three-dimensional on a rice paper. However, when used in traditional ink wash painting, the flow and penetration of conventional ink is difficult to control, and its carbon black particles make it a challenge to achieve multiple transparent gradients. Considering the water solubility and two-dimensional nanostructure of graphene oxide (GO), the authors of this paper has developed and proposed the use of water-based GO ink for Chinese ink wash painting, aiming to endow it with new aesthetic forms and unique expressive potentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to discharge of hazardous organochlorine compounds and absorbable organic halogen compounds in the effluent, the pulp and paper industries are trying to alter the bleaching process to limit the use of chlorine compounds and comply with regulatory, environmental, and market demands. With progress in biotechnology, enzyme technologies can effectively pre-treat lignocellulosic biomass in the pulp and paper making process. Usually, these enzymatic processes reduce the environmental impact of traditional pulp and paper-making processes, lower the overall production cost, and enhance product quality. Microbial xylanases are the potential bio-bleaching candidate due to their renewable, mild operating, highly specific, and eco-friendly nature. Xylanase enhances the efficacy of the bleaching process by breaking the β-1, 4-glycosidic backbone of the re-precipitated xylan network and removing the trapped lignin from the pulp fibers. Xylanolytic action positively influences the kappa number, hexenuronic acid, chromophore compounds release, pulp crystallinity, morphology and many other attributes of pulp. The present review comprehensively highlights the microbial xylanolytic system, its mechanism, and its application in pulp bioleaching. With the recent development, the paper delineates the xylanase-aided bleaching effects on pulp, paper, and effluent attributes aimed to reduce bleaching chemical use, AOX formation, and energy use in the pulp refining process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work was based on analysis of the flow regime of fibre suspensions, that corresponds to furnishes and process conditions typically established for tissue paper manufacturing, i.e., under the common range of stock consistencies at the machine headbox and most usual furnish compositions. The flocculation potential of fibre suspensions used for toilet papers, facial tissues, paper towels and table napkins were evaluated on the principles of analytical concepts for fibre agglomeration propensity. The results show crowding numbers from 5.0 to 69.0, depending on the type of fibre or fibre blending ratios. The findings regarding agglomeration factors indicate that flow regimes are mainly in semi-concentrated and around gel state zones but reached the concentrated flow regime, in extreme conditions of fibre morphology and stock consistency. The influence of hardwood and softwood mixture ratios on the fibre suspension features is shown and discussed for common formulations of tissue base paper. The effect of fibre length and coarseness on the flocculation potential and the impacts of fibre suspension flow regimes on the structural properties of tissue paper, such as the formation uniformity are discussed, demonstrating the reasons for the preferred use of high hardwood content in furnish balance for tissue paper manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A never-dried (ND) fines-free softwood bleached kraft pulp was converted to air-dried and thermally dried handsheets, which were then disintegrated or sonicated in water under various conditions. These disintegrated or sonicated pulps were converted to handsheets and used to obtain fundamental data on paper recycling. The water-vapor-adsorption isotherms of the pulp and sheet samples after super-critical-point drying showed clear differences between the water volumes adsorbed by the ND pulp, once-dried pulp, and dried sheets at the same relative humidities above 50%. These differences are caused by hornification of the pulp and sheet samples during drying and recycling. Air and thermal drying of wet webs decreased the adsorbed-water-vapor volume by 7%–9% and 14%–18%, respectively, relative to that adsorbed by the original ND pulp. We hypothesize that the decrease in water-vapor-adsorption volume from that of the original ND pulp at relative humidities >50% reflects the degree of irreversible formation of hydroxyl groups in the originally hydrophilic hemicelluloses and crystalline cellulose microfibril surfaces in the pulp and sheet samples during drying and paper recycling. The water-vapor-adsorption isotherms of pulp and sheet samples can be used to quantify the degree of hornification or the amount of irreversible hydrogen bonds formed during paper recycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formaldehyde-free adhesives are gaining attention due to their compatibility with green production methods. Decorative base paper (DBP) is known for its physical strength and printability and has a high ability for absorbing aldehyde-free adhesives for impregnation. In this paper, DBP was prepared with TiO2 and SiO2 combined with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), where the amount of TiO2 was reduced in the pulp process. The prepared DBP was impregnated by aldehyde-free adhesive and hot-pressed on wood-based panels. The results showed that upon SiO2 coating, the surface smoothness of base paper increased by 132.3 %, whereas the tensile strength increased by 33.6 %. Furthermore, the colour density of cyan, magenta, yellow and black colours increased by 75.4 %, 99.2 %, 51.9 % and 90.5 %, respectively. The surface properties like surface bonding strength and wear resistance of the covered wood-based panels were found to satisfy the standard requirements, which indicates the products can be used for furniture products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper has been used in the field of hygiene for centuries. Tissue papers have low grammage, creped or non-creped surface, and consisting of one or more layers from virgin papers. Toilet paper, which has an important area of use, comes at the beginning of the tissue papers divided into various product groups. Its use has increased even more with the effect of the coronavirus pandemic. Increasing use of toilet paper causes clogging in sewers as solid waste. Because an important and large part of the sewage is composed of cellulosic structures. Therefore, the disintegration of toilet paper is an important issue. The main properties of toilet paper are characterized by grammage, thickness, polymerization degree, softness and wet tensile strength. This study, it was aimed to determine the relationship between the degree of polymerization, thickness, grammage, softness and wet tension strength of toilet papers, which accumulate in the sewer pipes and cause clogging, and their disintegration in tap water and pure water at environment of different pH levels. A great level and positive linear relationship was found between grammage and in disintegration pH9. It was determined a low level and positive relationship with wet tensile strength in disintegration tap water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste paper, the use of which is increasing day by day as a raw material, has a heterogeneous structure as it contains non-fiber material from different sources. It is desired to have a homogeneous product when recycled. Within the scope of this study, the SEM images of the raw materials determined according to EN 643 standard and the products made with the recycling of these raw materials were examined, ash content, fines content and ash on sieve were stated and the results obtained by determining filler content (removed) and fiber fines (removed) were discussed. While the samples with the highest ash content were H3 and U3, the lowest samples were H6 and U9. It was determined that the samples with the highest fines content were H2 and U1, while the lowest samples were H4 and U2. While the samples with the highest ash on sieve were H3 and U3, the samples with the least were determined as H2 and U9. The filler content was highest in H1 and U3 samples, while the lowest was in H6 and U9 samples. The samples with the most fiber fines were found as H2 and U9, and the least as H1 and U3 samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study conducted in March–April 2021 elucidated the acidification process of books using alkaline text paper and improved the method of pH measurement in a previous study from 2016. The pH was measured on various positions of Japanese books published in 2000–2020 using the same type of pH-indicator strip as used in 2016; however, a wetted pH-indicator strip was kept pressed to the text paper with fingers at approximately 5 kgf for 90 s to secure the transfer of water-extracted components for four times while a 250 g paperweight was mounted and kept for 60 s for two times in the 2016-study. This time, the pH was found to decrease faster in positions more readily exposed to outside air compared to the 2016-study. Immediately after publication of the book, the pH was approximately 7.8 in every position. The pH of the top edge corner and the surface near the top edge corner later decreased to a neutral pH 7.0 4–6 years and 7–9 years after publication, respectively. Approximately 20 years after publication, the centre of the page in the interior of the book also dropped to pH 7.1, suggesting that acidification steadily progressed, albeit slightly, even on alkaline paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a modified LL.M. exam paper on Private International Law that presents a problem question involving a dispute between an Austrian company, M, and S, a Nigerian student studying in Berlin. The question asks the reader to determine the applicable law to the dispute, which is brought before the court in Vienna. The model answer analyzes the character of M's claims and discusses the potential application of the Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) and the Rome I Regulation. It concludes that the choice of Austrian law is valid and that the rules on consumer protection in the Rome I Regulation may apply. The text also discusses the applicable laws for a contractual claim and a non-contractual claim between M and S. For the contractual claim, Austrian law applies, except for the issue of a tariff change, which is governed by German law. For the non-contractual claim regarding an alleged infringement of intellectual property rights, both Austrian and German law may apply, and the specific laws governing each claim will determine the assessment of compensation. [Extracted from the article]

Sustainable coatings exhibit potential in enhancing oil resistance of packaging paper. Alkyl ketone dimer (AKD) was used to esterify sodium alginate (SA) to prepare water and oil resistant agent SAD. As SAD was coated on paper, it reduced the surface energy and blocked the fiber pores of paper, thus improving the barrier performance of paper. The oil resistance grade can reach grade 6 at coating amount of 2.13 ± 0.26 g/m2, which is qualified for food packaging. The coated paper also showed good barrier to hot castor oil. Resistance to organic solvent and water were also enhanced with initial water contact angle (WCA) increased to 69.2°. Compared with base paper, SAD coated paper had better mechanical properties and more importantly, coated paper can be effectively recycled to achieve green recycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water-dispersible paper is useful for packaging applications as it disintegrates into its fibers after usage, and also is a fully biodegradable material. Here, we first introduce a laboratory testing method for the disintegration performance of different paper grades under low agitation in water. Then a quantitative analysis on the technological and physical mechanisms responsible for dispersibility of paper is performed. We identify lignin content, degree of refining and addition of starch as relevant factors reducing paper dispersibility. Addition of a debonding agent, a non-ionic surfactant, was not found to be effective here. We found a strong correlation of both, wet- and dry tensile strength to dispersibility. From all water absorption related paper properties only ultrasonic liquid penetration measurements were correlated to paper dispersibility. Principal component analysis revealed that paper strength and water penetration speed are not governed by different latent variables but instead are all strongly associated with the first principal component. This suggests that the same mechanisms are responsible for reduction of water penetration speed and wet/dry strength. Hence we suggest to decouple network strength and water penetration, e.g. by identifying suitable additives imparting bonding strength without reducing the access of water which is required to break the fiber–fiber bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The properties of handmade paper used for mounting and conservation of paintings and calligraphy on paper is crucial to the quality and lifespan of such objects. Mounting papers from China, Korea, and Japan vary greatly in performance due to different papermaking methods and fibre materials. In this study, eight types of handmade paper widely used in China, Korea, and Japan were selected for comprehensive comparative analysis investigating their pH as well as optical, mechanical, and ageing properties. The study showed that traditional hanji, improved hanji, and thin Mino paper made of pure kozo fibres performed best in terms of mechanical properties. Among the additives mixed with kozo fibres, clam shell powder was identified as a substance that improves pH and stability of optical properties. Xuan paper Mianliao was found to be a suitable material for mounting hand scrolls and hanging scrolls due to its softness and ageing properties. Traditional hanji, improved hanji, and thin Mino paper are less flexible than xuan paper Mianliao and are considered more suitable for uses other than for mounting scrolls. This study will provide a reference for improving the quality of handmade paper and a theoretical basis for the selection of such papers for the conservation of paintings and calligraphy on paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of activated carbon with KMnO4 activators incorporated on the paper matrix is carried out in this research. Three methods of activated carbon incorporation on paper are carried out to evaluate the paper's physical parameters and adsorption ability to ethylene. The paper's physical parameters include grammage, bursting strength, Ring Crush Test (RCT), moisture content, water absorption (Cobb60), and paper microstructures using SEM. Evaluation of the performance of activated carbon paper nanopores as ethylene adsorbent is conducted using GC. The treatment of activated carbon nanopores on non-wood paper causes grammage to increase, but RCT and paper bursting strength decrease. The incorporation of nanopore-activated carbon by the mixing method has produced papers with activated carbon particles spread evenly inside the pulp fibers of the paper. Activated carbon paper with the best adsorption capacity is bamboo+KMnO4&mixing with an adsorption capacity of 1,348 ppm and ethylene amount of 88.58 %. Concentration equilibrium is reached in the 25th minute. The non-linear pseudo-first-order absorbent kinetics model is an appropriate model to describe the equilibrium capacity of ethylene entrant (qe) by nanopore-activated carbon paper with the equation: qt = 1.35734 (1 − exp − 0.15312 t) , with R 2 = 0.9981. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, Kozo fibres were fibrillated using the stone wet milling method and the wet atomisation method both deriving from nanocellulose production processes. Kozo fibres with a high degree of external fibrillation were obtained by using the stone mill wet grinding method. Although fibres exhibited the same structure as untreated Kozo fibres, their bonding properties improved. Applying the wet atomisation method, fibrillated Kozo fibres with different degrees of fibrillation were obtained depending on the number of treatments. Fibrillated Kozo fibres can be used in conservation as an adhesive for lining and other stabilisation treatments and may in certain cases replace starch paste, which is susceptible to microbiological damage. Only Kozo fibres and water were used in both mechanical fibrillation methods; therefore, the resulting material can be considered a safe alternative to more traditional adhesives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Deforestation Regulation 2023/1115 (EUDR) prohibits trading of wood and wood products obtained from illegal logging on the EU market. While the identification of solid wood via anatomy, chemistry and genetics has already been established, there is a lack of identification methods for pulp and paper that complement anatomy. This publication presents a newly developed chemotaxonomic method for identifying mixed tropical hardwood (MTH) species in pulp and paper products based on their extractives analyzed with thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS). The measured data was processed and compared to identify marker substances and was then merged into a fingerprint database for identifying MTH species in paper of unknown composition. As database references, fully bleached kraft pulps were produced from 38 anatomically identified wood samples and then cryo-ball milled and extracted successively with n-hexane and acetone. The results show that the remaining wood extractives generated from bleached pulps are specific enough to find chemical relevant marker substances to detect MTH species. As chemical composition and anatomy are independent characteristics of wood, this paper makes a completely independent method available, which potentially improves the screening for Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) protected species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disintegration potential of toilet grade tissue paper is one of the most important parameter keeping in mind the worldwide water scarcity faced by human race in current decade. The aim of this experimental study is to improve the disintegration potential of toilet tissue. Softener is used as debonding material. The right amount dry strength required by Toilet tissue is maintained by controlled fiber refining. High fiber bonding would lower the disintegration potential of the tissue paper, thus hampering the aim of study. The initial freeness of the pulp slurry was found 16°SR. It was then further refined in controlled manner to various degrees of freeness (i. e. 22, 24, 26, 28 and 30°SR). Bulk, Strength properties along with disintegration time and softness of 15GSM hand sheets prepared from each set of pulp slurry was investigated. Turbidity test was done to check the cloudiness. Upon analysing, it was found that the paper developed at 24°SR freeness having bulk 4.85 cc/gm, breaking length 750 meter, softness 80 Hand feel units, and disintegration time 08 seconds was most suitable having the better softness, optimum strength and higher disintegration potential as compared to the benchmarked samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper nails constitute a unique and important structure in Chinese double-leaved books. This technique may have existed as early as the Southern Song Dynasty (A.D.1127–1279) when wrapped-back bindings developed. Creating and applying paper nails is a basic skill for conservators in China. Although paper nails have always been used, there is not much literature discussing their manufacture and application. This article details the use of single and double-ended nails in China, including how to make, attach, and remove them, and provides illustrative examples of the role of paper nails in thread binding, rough binding, wrapped-back binding, and "Jade Set in Gold" ("jinxiangyu", 金镶玉) binding. This work will be a reference for the conservation of Chinese double-leaved books and other documents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pulp and paper industry is increasingly seeking a sustainable and conscientious development, minimizing the environmental impacts caused by it. Therefore, reducing efficiently the number of stages used in the bleaching process can mean less consumption of water and chemical reagents, contributing to the reduction of harmful waste to the environment. Thus, this study sought to evaluate the pulp quality and some physical-mechanical properties (smoothness, tear and tensile indexes) of two new bleaching sequences A*DP and A*E*DP and compare them with the reference D0(E+P)D1P. To do so, industrial eucalyptus Kraft pulp pre-delignified with oxygen was used. The bleached pulp was refined to 1200, 1800 and 2400, in PFI mill and tested according to TAPPI standards to determine smoothness, tear and tensile indexes. Based on the results obtained, it was verified that the sequences studied are viable for using in bleaching plants, which allowed a reduction in the chlorine dioxide consumption and presented satisfactory smoothness, tear and tensile indexes for paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is devoted to a comparative analysis of thermal ageing tests of Thermally Upgraded Kraft (TUK) and Nomex-910 papers dipped in palm kernel oil methyl ester (MEPKO), at 110, 130, and 150 °C, for 96 h each. After ageing, paper breakdown voltage (BDV), oils' dissipation factor, dielectric constant and oxidation stability were determined. Nomex's BDV was greater than TUK BDV. However, the dissipation factor of the Nomex samples is slightly higher than that of TUK, and the dielectric constant has the opposite behaviour. In addition, the decay content of Nomex/MEPKO was greater than with TUK/MEPKO. These experimental findings indicate that Nomex can be mainly used in high voltage, and TUK in medium voltage power transformers respectively, to allow judicious use of their individual characteristics and money savings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hemicellulose was extracted from the Stachys floridana Shuttlew. ex Benth by ultrasonic-assisted, fractional alcohol precipitation method, mixed with chitosan solution, and coated on the surface of the paper with three layers, to explore the effect of its morphology, thermal stability, barrier, mechanical properties of coated paper. The results showed that the gas barrier property of the paper coated with hemicellulose – chitosan mixed solution decreased from 180 mL/min to 0.265 mL/min, the water barrier property increased from 0 to 84.8°, and the oil barrier property increased from 0 to Kit nº11. The tearing degree of paper increased by 9.2 %, the folding resistance increased by 1296.6 %, dry and wet tensile strength and dry and wet rupture resistance were also significantly improved. The thermal stability mixed solution coated paper is slightly lower than the base paper, but higher than the pure chitosan coated paper. The prepared S. floridana Shuttlew. ex Benth hemicellulose – chitosan blend coating has good barrier property and mechanical properties, and has a wide application prospect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common tissue paper manufacturing trends aim at partial or total replacement of softwood pulp with hardwood pulp for its production, such as bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp (BEKP), in order to optimize the process and the final product properties such as softness. However, the use of a single type of hardwood fiber results in lower strengths of both wet and dry webs. To maintain necessary strength and desired properties, the incorporation of several additives is often required. In this context, low molecular weight polyethylene glycol (PEG) and different wet strength resins, such as polyamideamine-epichlorohydrin (PAE) and glyoxalated polyacrylamide (GPAM) resins, were combined to achieve an innovated product with improved properties. In particular, wet and dry tensile strength was significantly improved when combining PEG and wet strength resins, especially observed in tissue papers prepared with PAE resin, high-charge cationic agent and bulk applied aqueous PEG solution. Noteworthy that water absorption capacity and softness of tissue paper were not critically affected by PEG incorporation, regardless of application method used (in bulk or by spray). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a simple method for hydrophobic modification of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was found. Using N-methylpyrrolidone as solvent, PVA was esterified with stearyl chloride without catalyst. The modified hydrophobic polyvinyl alcohol (MPVA) was well verified by FT-IR and XRD. Using air filter paper as receiving substrate and MPVA as spinning solution, MPVA air filter paper with water resistance and high filtration performance was prepared, and hydrophilic PVA air filter paper was prepared as controlled sample. SEM was used to observe the fiber morphology on the surface of the two composite filter papers. The contact angle of hydrophobic MPVA air filter paper (25:3) was 121.9°, and the filtration efficiency was increased to 99.9955 % and the filter initial resistance increased to 90 Pa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper simulations that resolve the entire microscopic fiber structure are typically time-consuming and require extensive resources. Several such modeling approaches have been proposed to analyze different properties in paper. However, most use non-linear and time-dependent models resulting in high computational complexity. Resolving these computational issues would increase its usefulness in industrial applications. The model proposed in this work was developed in collaboration with companies in the papermaking industry within the Innovative Simulation of Paper (ISOP) project. A linear network model is used for efficiency, where 1-D beams represent the fibers. Similar models have been proposed in the past. However, in this work, the paper models are three-dimensional, a new dynamic bonding technique is used, and more extensive simulations are evaluated. The model is used to simulate tensile stiffness, tensile strength, and bending resistance. These simulated results are compared to experimental and theoretical counterparts and produce representable results for realistic parameters. Moreover, an off-the-shelf computer accessible to a paper developer can evaluate these models structural properties efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present paper is to explore the role monuments and monumentality play in the creation of collective identities in early Greece by focusing on two case studies, Lefkandi and Eretria. Equal emphasis will be given to the study of both the burials and the buildings that were subsequently created in honour of the deceased, transforming both sites from individual monuments to collective ones. People’s perceptions of the monuments changed over time affecting their monumentality hence influencing the emergence of collective identities centred around the Toumba cemetery and the West Gate cemetery at Lefkandi and Eretria respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For data information scientists, librarians and academics alike, it is a worrisome sign when information or a file opaquely disappears from the body of scientific literature, even more so when it carries a digital object identifier (DOI). This is because the DOI typically offers a published paper a form of digital permanence. Preprints are being increasingly fused into the publication stream, serving as a prelude to submission to a peer-reviewed journal. One of the main preprint servers is Elsevier's SSRN. This paper, a rare case study, describes three preprints by the same authors related to peer review that were withdrawn (i.e., retracted). Apart from a short notice with identical text ("This paper has been removed from SSRN at the request of the author, SSRN, or the rights holder"), no date of the withdrawals and no explanation were publicly provided. Following queries to the authors and SSRN, the three preprints were reinstated around February 2023. Finally, the original title of two of the preprints was manipulated in the reinstated preprints. This historical case study not only highlights the risks of opaque preprint withdrawals, but also the ease with which information on preprint servers (in this case SSRN) can be modified and/or manipulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we aimed to analyze suspensions of cationic starch by adding 5 wt%, 7 wt%, and 10 wt% of bentonite as a bilayer coating on kraftliner paper (85 g/m2). The controls were doubly-wet-and-dry and uncoated kraftliner paper. In a coating machine, the formulations were applied until reaching a grammage of 15 g/m2 and then dried at 103 ± 2 °C. The test was carried out about pH, solids content, and viscosity of the suspensions. The physical characteristics of the coated papers were evaluated, as well as their ability to block water, water vapor, and oil/grease. We also analyzed with scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The packaging, having a water contact angle of up to 78° and 189 g/m² for Cobb, showed a low resistance to water, which is further responsible for decreased mechanical resistance. Nevertheless, the coating did not change the permeability to water vapor, however, bentonite promoted a decrease in wettability and Cobb value of the paper. The addition of 7 wt% bentonite to the cationic starch matrix promoted high oil resistance with 12 for kit-oil, while 10 wt% bentonite promoted greater pencil hardness, with a value of 8H. Bentonite strength and cationic starch showed good interaction, increasing oil resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper-based artifacts, such as ink and wash paintings, paper cuts, etc., when exposed in environment for a long time, are prone to embrittling, yellowing and ageing because of ultraviolet light and weather elements. In a museum, special measurements are adopted to avoid these damages, but for common households, a functional coating is a good solution. However, this is not an easy task as the coating must be removable and cannot damage the articles. Graphene oxide (GO) has the potential as ultraviolet shielding material for the protection of paper-based artifacts, but the application of monolithic GO coatings on paper-based artifacts is difficult. In this work, feasible GO/polyacrylonitrile composite films were prepared and their protection properties for rice paper were explored experimentally. When GO loading reached 2 %, the UV-A and UV-B blocking percentages of the film were 57.47 % and 70.86 %, respectively, with a visible light transmittance of 77.09 %. These films also performed good moisture resistance. With a good flexibility, they could be easily transferred onto and peeled off the rice paper surface without damaging the paper texture and patterns on it. These films basically meet the demand of paper-based artifacts protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to understand consumers' perceptual cognition of Zhangpu paper-cut patterns and grasp the innovative application direction. The four design elements of paper-cut patterns were extracted by morphological analysis, and representative perceptual vocabulary were selected using Kansei engineering theory and factor analysis, then the design elements and perceptual evaluation scores of representative words are used as the input and output data of the GWO-BP neural network, respectively, to establish an intelligent model that can predict consumers' perceptual cognition of paper-cut patterns. To verify the superiority of the model, the predicted result of BP and FA-BP are compared with GWO-BP neural network. The results show that although the convergence speed of the GWO-BP model is slightly lower than that of the FA-BP model, its prediction accuracy is significantly better than other algorithms. Designers can use the model to quickly redesign the paper-cut pattern to better meet the aesthetic needs of modern consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this experiment, we explored how to control the penetration of palmitoyl chloride in the gas grafting of PVOH-coated paper. When calcium carbonate was pre-coated, the gas grafting reaction of the PVOH-coated paper tended to be inhibited. It is believed that palmitoyl chloride is additionally consumed by moisture generated when calcium carbonate neutralizes hydrochloric acid gas, a by-product of the graft reaction, thereby inhibiting the graft reaction and reducing the hydrophobization efficiency by generating unreacted residual free fatty acids. Unlike calcium carbonate, the clay coating layer blocks the penetration of vaporized palmitoyl chloride and improves the gas grafting density of PVOH without moisture generation. The PVOH coating layer, where vaporized palmitoyl chloride penetrates, is thinly processed to avoid unnecessary graft reactions in the thickness direction, and the propagation of palmitoyl chloride in the gas phase is blocked by the clay-coating layer. In previous studies, an excess of 1400 mg/m2 of palmitoyl chloride was required to secure strong hydrophobicity of less than 10 g/m2 of Cobb hot water absorption. However, by pre-coating the clay, only 650 mg/m2 of palmitoyl chloride, which was about a 53% reduction compared to previous studies, was sufficient to perform a strong hydrophobic treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world demand for paper has been increased due to the increasing population Therefore, to cop up the limited wood fiber resources introducing raw material in pulp and paper industries is necessary. The aims of this study to evaluate the pulp and paper-making properties of Caesalpinia decapetela based on proximate chemical composition, fiber morphology, pulping, bleaching, and physical test of the final product. The results proximate chemical analysis showed that C. decapetela has holocellulose content of 78.14±0.1 % and lignin content 18.0±0.04 %. Fiber morphology revealed that the fibers were 0.708 mm long, 18.63 μm width, and have 5.1 μm cell wall thicknesses. Kraft pulping of C. decapetale, was performed at different active alkali (5 %, 10 %, 15 %, 20 % and 25 %) and temperature (150, 160 and 170 °C), keeping the sulphidity 25 % constant. The pulp maximum yield 44.1 % was obtained at active alkali content of 15 %, temperature 160 °C, and cooking time 90 minutes. The effect of pulping on fiber morphology was studied using scanning electron microscopy which showed the surface of fiber before pulping was tight, orderly arranged and the texture was relatively hard. After pulping, there was the removal of lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose. Due to this fiber become soft loosened and contain micro-pores. Pulp produced was bleached, sheet preparation and testing were performed. The prepared paper sheets have a tensile index of 28.19 Nm/gm, burst index of 1.359 kPa m 2 / gm 1.359\hspace{0.1667em}\text{kPa}\hspace{0.1667em}{\text{m}^{2}}/\text{gm} , and tear indices of 4.2 mN m 2 / gm 4.2\hspace{0.1667em}\text{mN}\hspace{0.1667em}{\text{m}^{2}}/\text{gm}. This study concluded C. decapetale can be the new raw material for pulp and paper making industries. However, pilot plant studies are required to check this raw material for the full recommendation of the pulp and paper industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A more efficient application of a dry strength agent (DSA) was investigated to improve the strength of thermomechanical pulp (TMP) blended paper. Strength improvement by DSA application was more effective for hardwood bleached kraft pulp (Hw-BKP) than TMP. The degree of strength improvement of DSA further increased with the increasing degree of refining of Hw-BKP. The strength of the paper was decreased by the fines fractionation of TMP, but the strength improvement efficiency of DSA for the fines fractionated TMP increased. In order to increase the strength of TMP mixed paper using DSA, it is expected that DSA should be adsorbed only to Hw-BKP with high strength improvement efficiency, not TMP fines. When the DSA was mixed with Hw-BKP before contact with other stocks, it was confirmed that the effect of improving the strength by the DSA is the best. The strength improving effect increased as TMP fines were removed. Therefore, to improve the strength of the paper containing TMP in Hw-BKP by adding a DSA, it is preferable to selective apply the DSA to Hw-BKP while blending only the fibers of TMP by fractionation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, electrophotographic printing and inkjet printing systems were applied to some commercial A4 office papers and their effects on print quality were determined. It is to evaluate the print quality by determining the test parameters that measure the print quality by applying electrophotographic printing and inkjet printing systems to some commercial office papers that have determined the surface properties and optical properties supplied from the market. Print quality was measured by testing with parameters such as delta gloss 60°, print lightness, print chroma, print density. As a result of the tests determined for print quality; print density values were low in A4 office papers with high roughness and porosity values, and the specular gloss values of the samples decreased in both printing applications. In electrophotographic printing; it was determined that darker colors formed with print lightness parameter, and the color scale increases in two-sided printing with print chroma values. It was determined that the color scale of print chroma values increased in two-sided prints. It was determined that mostly some commercial office papers were positively affected by printing on one side in inkjet printing and by printing on two-sided in electrophotographic printing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]