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Highlights • Pulp and paper mills generate huge amount of wastewater. • Physicochemical processes have several limitations to treat wastewater. • Integrated microbial based technology improves the quality of wastewater. • Eco-friendly MBBR process creates opportunity for reuse of treated wastewater., From the beginning of the paper-making process, the pulp and paper industry has utilized a large amount of water and generated a vast amount of highly polluted wastewater. The paper industry faces global pressure to reduce water use and lower environmental pollution. However, traditional physicochemical methods of wastewater treatment need high energy input, and their ecological impact is questionable. Due to the zero discharged policy, the industries urgently require novel eco-friendly, sustainable, and efficient treatment techniques. Microbial technology is the most recommended option to treat wastewater and support sustainable growth. The present article describes the overview of traditional and novel methods, including membrane bioreactor (MBR) and moving-bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) technology's with their current state and their limits for treating pulp and paper wastewater. It is expected to integrate the novel methods with advanced hybrid technology to fulfill wastewater treatment criteria and prospects. Furthermore, coupling MBR and MBBR technology make energy and water recovery possible, and recycling wastewater will be economically and environmentally feasible., Graphical abstract Image, graphical abstract

Paper derived from lignocellulose has great advantages over plastics as packaging material, nevertheless, the poor water- and oil-resistances of paper-derived products limited their application in high-end field. Herein, novel dimer acid-based waterborne polyurethanes (DWPUs) with different content of dimer acid-based polyester polyol (DG) were prepared and used as water- and oil-resistant coating for paper substrate. The effects of DG contents on water- and oil-resistances, mechanical properties and thermal stability of DWPUs coated papers were systematically investigated. When the content of DG reached up to 7 wt% (based on polyester glycol), the paper coated by DWPU exhibited 88.06% decrease in Cobb 60 value, 8.7 times increase in kit rating compared with uncoated paper. Meanwhile, DWPUs coated papers showed good mechanical properties and thermal stability. These improvements are attributed to the flexible long-alkyl chain, and six-ring structure of DWPUs as well as the continuous and homogeneous DWPU-derived membrane on the surface of paper. This study provides a new framework for the preparation of high quality, multifunctional, environmentally friendly water- and oil-resistant coatings for paper substrates.

To study the influence of different concentrations of zinc oxide (ZnO)/silicon dioxide (SiO2) composite coating on hydrophobic property and mechanical stability of paper mulch film, three kinds of ZnO/SiO2 composite coating paper mulch films (2%, 4%, 6%) with different coating substance contents were prepared by brush coating method. Through particle size analysis, contact angle, rolling angle and mechanical stability test, combined with scanning electron microscope, three-dimensional morphology and roughness measuring instrument, the optimal concentration of ZnO/SiO2 composite coated paper mulch film was screened out. Through acid-base salt corrosion test, silver mirror reaction and surface self-cleaning, the optimal concentration of composite coated paper mulch film was compared with the original paper mulch film to prove its excellent chemical stability and hydrophobicity. The results show that the paper mulch film with 4% coating material has excellent hydrophobicity and mechanical stability, can effectively reduce the surface roughness of paper mulch film, and has remarkable effects in resisting acid, alkali and salt and self-cleaning.

Sustainable and low-cost cellulose-based metallisation is the prerequisite for wearable and disposable electronics fabrication. In this paper, to realize the simplified, low-cost and high efficient metallisation, a new method had been proposed without both the noble metal activators and the corrosive chemicals. The modified electroless plating processes had been employed in activation and deposition procedure. The nickel ions were first physiadsorbed on the cellulose paper (CP) fibers and then reduced into clusters by reducing agent which can act as the seeds to initiate the electroless plating process. The gold galvanic displacement was conducted further to modify the nickel surface. Via these processes, the cellulose paper was metallised with Ni-P and Au/Ni-P successfully. The morphological and microstructural properties of the resulted Ni-P/CP and Au/Ni-P/CP hybrids were evaluated. The Ni-P/CP composites had a low surface resistance below 0.5 Ω sq-1 while the Au/Ni-P/CP composites are below 0.1 Ω sq-1. The relationship between the mechanical and electrical properties with the plating parameters is discussed. The results indicated that Au/Ni-P/CP had good electrical conductivity and mechanical flexibility. Finally, the application demonstration for supercapacitor with the modified metallisation method was exhibited. This work offers a facile and non-toxic path to develop high-performance metallisation for functional cellulose-based materials.

This study's focus was to develop a potential pathway for recycling of the paper mill sludge compost (PMSC) in brick making. Composting reduces the paper mill sludge (PMS) moisture content considerably and shredding becomes easier. The addition of PMSC leads to an increase of porosities in bricks and makes them lighter, besides delivering energy to the firing process from burning organics. Lighter construction materials help minimize construction outlay by reducing labour and transportation costs and lesser expense on foundation construction. The variability in the experimental data and the brick properties were investigated for two types of soils, typical in the brick industry of India (alluvial and laterite soil), blended with PMSC in five mix ratios (0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%). The samples of oven-dried bricks were fired at two different temperatures (850 and 900 °C) in an electrically operated muffle furnace representing typical conditions of a brick kiln. Various properties of bricks were analyzed which included linear shrinkage, bulk density, water absorption and compressive strength. Conclusions were drawn based on these properties. It was found that the addition of PMSC to the alluvial and laterite soil by up to 10% weight yield mechanical properties of fired bricks compliant with the relevant Indian and ASTM codes. Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) tests showed that PMSC incorporated fired bricks are safe to use in regular applications as non-load-bearing and infill walls. This study is timely in light of the European Green Deal putting focus on circular economy. Besides, it fulfills the objective of UN sustainable development goals (SDG). © 2021 Elsevier Ltd

Europe represents 25% of the world’s production of pulp and paper, being the second largest producer in the world. Waste paper fly ash (WPFA) is a material generated by the incineration of by-products in the manufacture of paper from recycled paper. WPFA has binding properties that allow it to be used as a replacement for cement or lime in soil stabilization. This chapter describes the full-scale application of WPFA in civil works (road projects), from less complex applications than those with high physical-mechanical requirements. The three applications presented here are part of the PaperChain project, funded by the European Union, and are as follows: soil stabilization on a rural road, granular soil stabilization in a local road and, finally, a soil-cement on a regional road. The results obtained show the viability of using WPFA as an alternative binder material to cement or lime.

In this paper, we report the performance of paper pulp as an innovative viscosity modifying admixture (VMA) for cement composites. Two different levels of fineness were obtained by mechanical milling of the same source of paper pulp. Their effects on viscosity modification, hydration kinetics, autogenous shrinkage, and compressive strength of cement grouts were measured, and their structural integrity at high pH was assessed. A new parameter was proposed to quantify nonlinearity induced by VMAs. Results showed that the hierarchical structure of paper pulp makes it possible to activate bridging flocculation and swelling mechanisms of hydrophile paper pulp fibers at different levels to produce versatile VMAs. The coarser milled paper pulp fibers mainly influences the plastic viscosity. By contrast, the milled paper pulp consisting of ultra-fine fibers significantly modifies both plastic viscosity and dynamic yield stress, induces more nonlinearity in the mixtures, and increases compressive strength of mortars at low dosages.

During recent years, the socio political pressure to develop suitable technologies capable of treating wastewater from the paper and pulp industry has increased due to strict environmental regulations. System closure could potentially lead to substantial operating and discharge cost savings. This study evaluates the potential of combining an aerobic moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) (biological) and a Fenton-like system (advanced oxidation processes) for treating recycle mill effluent (RME). The performance of the moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) was evaluated at three different hydraulic residence times (HRT). The HRT used were 24, 16 and 5 h and the corresponding total chemical oxygen demand (COD) removals were 55, 49 and 43% respectively. The volatile organic acids (VOA) removals were 63.5, 58.7 and 53% respectively. The Kincannon-Stover model was used to describe the kinetic behaviour of the MBBR. The calculated KB and Umax parameters for the COD were 26.37 g.L−1.d−1 and 15.06 g.L−1.d−1 respectively. For the VOA, the KB and Umax parameters were 11.81 g.L−1.d−1 and 8.87 g.L−1.d−1. The Fenton-like experiments were carried out in batch runs. The first experiments were carried out to determine the optimal reaction parameters. Maximum COD removals were found to be at a pH of 3.33, Fe3+ dosage of 1,000 mg/L and H2O2 of 14.55 mM. Pseudo-first order reaction kinetics was used to describe the kinetic characteristics of the Fenton-like treatment system. The calculated kinetic parameters ηmax (%) and kCOD (min−1) were 53.8% and 0.112 min−1 respectively at a pH of 3.24, Fe3+ dosage of 250 mg/L and a H2O2 dosage of 77 mM. Keywords: Moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR), Fenton-like system, Recycle mill effluent (RME)

Significative growth and demanding for premium tissue products, in which softness and absorbency are key consumer requests, pointed out the need for the establishment of relations between fiber properties and tissue paper properties. For this purpose, an experimental plan was designed using a representative group of pulp fibers, six hardwood, and six softwood, for the production and characterization of low basis weight paper structures (20 g/m2). The pulp fibers morphology and chemical content were evaluated, and hardwoods showed lower fiber length (0.70–0.84 vs 1.57–1.96 mm), coarseness (6.71–9.56 vs 16.77–19.66 mg/100 m) and higher pentosan content (6.3–21.1 vs 7.6–10.3%). Even though the paper structures were produced with the same basis weight, they presented a broad range for bulk (3.46–8.04 cm3/g), tensile index (2.00–11.45 N.m/g), softness (65.7–86.9) and absorption capacity (8.08–9.48 g/g). The results indicated that softness was directly influenced by structural properties, increasing with bulk, while tensile strength correlated inversely. Therefore, the correlations obtained were used to identify the most suitable pulp fibers properties for each type of tissue paper. Keywords: Absorption, Cellulose fiber materials, Pulp fiber morphology, Softness, Tissue papers

In the present manuscript, novel effluent treatment processes for pulp and paper mill effluents are divided into two categories: a) those involving the use of chemical additives and b) those which are free of such chemicals. It is especially of high importance for pulp and paper industry to adopt the most efficient and cost-effective treatment methods. This paper critically reviews the recent studies on the treatment of pulp and paper mill effluents while providing suggestions for further studies on the application of various physic-chemical and biological methods for the treatment of such complex effluents containing a number of recalcitrant pollutants. Keywords: Pulp and paper industry, Industrial effluents, Chemical additives, Non-additive treatment processes

D0bleaching wastewater from E. globulus Kraft pulping industry was treated by Fenton and photo-Fenton processes. The aim was to optimize the operational conditions for adsorbable organic halides (AOX) removal, namely oxidant concentration, [H2O2], catalyst concentration, [Fe2＋], and treatment time, using the central composite experimental design (CCED) tool. Temperature and pH were set at 60 ºC and 2, respectively, which are similar to the natural values of the D0bleaching wastewater. Both processes showed potential to remove AOX from D0with 177 - 178 mM H2O2 and 10 min reaction time. Maximum AOX removal was 85 % for the Fenton process with 8.5 mM Fe2＋, and 95 % for the photo-Fenton process with 2.0 mM Fe2＋ and UV irradiance 142 W.m− 2. For both methods, the only statistically significant variable (p=0.05) was the concentration of oxidant, [H2O2]. Keywords: AOX, Bleaching wastewater, CCED, Fenton, Photo-Fenton, Pulp and paper industry

Fly ash (FA) from biomass combustion and biological sludge (S), both wastes from the pulp and paper industry, were granulated in different proportions (90% FA + 10% S, and 70% FA + 30% S w/w, dry weight basis, dw) and used to recover the functionality of soils affected by mining activities (Aljustrel, Iberian Pyrite Belt), with and without the application of municipal solid waste compost (MSWC). Application doses of both mixtures were 2.5, 5.0 and 10% (w/w, dw). These materials corrected soil acidity to circumneutral values and increased extractable P and K concentrations. A significant increase in soil organic matter (from 0.6 to 0.8–1.5% w/w, dw) and N content (from 0.04 to 0.09–0.12% w/w, dw) was also observed, but only when MSWC was applied. The soil was already heavily contaminated with Cu, Pb and Zn and the application of amendments did not increase their pseudo-total concentrations. The CaCl2 extractable fractions of both Cu and Zn decreased to very low values. The improvement in soil quality, compared to fertilizer only treatment, was further evidenced by the increase in some soil enzymatic activities (dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase and cellulase), with a better response for the granules with the higher proportion of biological sludge, as well as by the decrease in the soil-water extract toxicity towards different organisms (Daphnia magna, Thamnocephalus platyurus, and Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata). Agrostis tenuis germinated and grew during the first month only in the amended pots, but, after that, a considerable phytotoxic effect was evident. This was mainly attributed to salt stress or to some specific ionic toxicity. In conclusion, to establish a long-term plant cover in mining soils amended with biomass ash-based materials, the selection of plants with higher resistance to salinity and/or the stabilization of the amendments, to reduce their soluble salt content, is recommended.

This work is concerned with the electrochemical detection of new psychoactive substances (NPSs), in particular 2,5-dimethoxy-N-(2-methoxybenzyl) phenethylamine structures (NBOMes) and the analogous 2,5-dimethoxy phenethylamine structures (2C-X group) on boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes. Fast square-wave voltammetry was used to identify the substances in question. The antifouling properties of the BDD surface resulted in stable, repeatable, sensitive and unique voltammetric responses for these NPSs, producing different voltammetric signatures. Different NBOMes were identified by voltammetric methods in blotting paper seized from the drug market, without any interference from LSD, another psychedelic drug distributed via blotting paper. The proposed method achieved detection limits lower than 0.1μmolL−1 with high precision (RSD

The process of bioconversion of solid organic wastes through vermicomposting justifies the environmental message for sustainability such as reduce, recycle and reuse of wastes. In the present study, wastes derived from two different types of paper mill sludge (primary and secondary), was used for their bioconversion through the vermicomposting process using an indigenous species of earthworm (Perionyx excavatus). The maturity and stability stage of vermicompost production was assessed using FT-IR, GC-MS and TG analyses. During vermicomposting, different biochemical functional groups present in the wastes have shown differential chemical alteration and turnover as revealed by FT-IR spectroscopy. This study has also confirmed the trend of biodegradation of complex substances like lignin, cellulose, proteins etc. and thereby demonstrates the extent of mineralization. TG spectral analysis had revealed a mass loss of 80% and 71% in vermicompost produced from primary and secondary sludge respectively. GC-MS studies have also shown the presence of several humic acids like octadecanoic acid, heptadecanoic acid etc. in the decomposing substances demonstrating as an indicator of the maturity of products. This was further confirmed by the decrease of humification index which focuses the combined action of both earthworms and microbes in the degradation of organic wastes. The present study has highlighted the role of an indigenous earthworm in converting specific industrial wastes especially by recording the point of maturation using humic acids an indicator of the quality of decomposing of wastes following several instrumental applications.

For the first time the feasibility of using an alkaline wastewater coming from the pulp and paper industry as an activator, partially (50 vol%) replacing commercial sodium hydroxide, in the production of cork-based activated carbons was evaluated. The activated carbons showed the highest value of specific surface area ever reported for cork-based activated carbons (1670 m2/g), surpassing several other commercial and waste-based ones. These eco-friendly cork and paper waste-based activated carbons were then evaluated as methylene blue adsorbent materials. The influence of contact time, methylene blue initial concentration and adsorbent amount on the methylene blue removal efficiency by the activated carbons was studied. Extremely fast (>99.9% removal in 5 min) and efficient methylene blue adsorption (uptake of 350 mg/g) by the cork and paper waste-based adsorbents was achieved, which demonstrates the huge potential of these innovative adsorbents. These activated carbons were produced using two unexplored industrial by-products (alkaline wastewater and cork) and, therefore, may be an inexpensive source of activated carbons, which can be used for the effective removal of dyes from wastewaters. Furthermore, despite the very large surface area and high removal efficiency this is not a nano material (being around 30–50 μm in size), its capabilities being due to its unique cork-derived microstructure, and hence it can be handled and removed/filtered much more easily than nanocarbons, and without any associated health or environmental risks. This work was developed within the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007679 (FCT Ref. UID/CTM/50011/2013), financed by national funds through the FCT/MEC and when appropriate co-financed by FEDER under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement. R.C. Pullar wishes to thank FCT grant IF/00681/2015 for supporting this work, and R.M. Novais wishes to thank FCT project H2CORK (PTDC/CTM-ENE/6762/ 2014). published

Zeolite nanostructures were used as hosts for dyes normally used in some bioassays (pH and protein), and applied on microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (PADs). The obtained dye nanomaterials were characterized by several techniques (structural (FTIR and XRD), surface (SEM/EDX), textural (N2 adsorption) analyses and dye loading determination by TGA analysis), to confirm the stability of both host and guest. After their deposition on the papers surface, the color change was studied by analyzing the RGB values, taking into account the lifetime and the results stability of the PADs. These results confirmed that both the lifetime and the color change of the modified devices were stable over one week. It was also demonstrated that the choice of the paper for the PAD as well as the zeolite nanostructures properties influences the colorimetric response. This strategy by encapsulating dyes into zeolites solve current challenges in colorimetric sensors in where long-term stability of the colorimetric results is an issue. The results obtained were promising for the studied assays, and the strategy could also be extended to other bioassays., A.R.B. thanks for the ERASMUS+ program to her grant. This work has been developed under the scope of the projects: BioTecNorte (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004), AIProcMat@N2020 (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000006), projects supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This work also has been funded by ERDF through COMPETE2020–Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI), Project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006984, Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM and by national funds through FCT, Fundacão para a Ciência e a Tecnologia for project PTDC/AAGTEC/5269/2014 and Centre of Chemistry (UID/QUI/00686/2013 and UID/QUI/0686/2016). The support from the Oslofjordfondet project, «Touchsensor for enklere og raskere urinprøvetaking og analyse (no. 234972)» and NSFC project no. 61650410655 is also acknowledged., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Over the past few years, what might not unreasonably be described as a true revolution has taken place in the field of machine vision, radically altering the way many things had previously been done and offering new and exciting opportunities for those able to quickly embrace and master the new techniques. Rapid developments in machine learning, largely enabled by faster GPU-equipped computing hardware, has facilitated an explosion of machine vision applications into hitherto extremely challenging or, in many cases, previously impossible to automate industrial tasks. Together with developments towards an internet of things and the availability of big data, these form key components of what many consider to be the fourth industrial revolution. This transformation has dramatically improved the efficacy of some existing machine vision activities, such as in manufacturing (e.g. inspection for quality control and quality assurance), security (e.g. facial biometrics) and in medicine (e.g. detecting cancers), while in other cases has opened up completely new areas of use, such as in agriculture and construction (as well as in the existing domains of manufacturing and medicine). Here we will explore the history and nature of this change, what underlies it, what enables it, and the impact it has had - the latter by reviewing several recent indicative applications described in the research literature. We will also consider the continuing role that traditional or classical machine vision might still play. Finally, the key future challenges and developing opportunities in machine vision will also be discussed.

Nowadays, the need to attain a sustainable society increasingly demands for the development of an economy based on biorefineries. In Southwestern Europe, agrofood and forest industries produce significant amount of wastes that could satisfy the demand for renewable biomass to be used in a biorefinery scheme alternatively to traditional uses of these residues. This chapter will primarily cover the current scenario regarding the annual volume of residues generated by agrofood (cheese whey, vine pruning waste, and brewer's spent grains) and pulp and paper industry (sawdust, chips, bark, and sludge). Additionally, the present-day use and final destination of these wastes and their main environmental issues will be described and discussed; besides, advanced valorization strategies (e.g., fuels and chemicals) involving a biorefinery approach will be approached, based on current reports according to the chemical composition of each waste. Finally, new insights on valorization of wastes from agrofood and pulp and paper industries, its challenges, and trends for future research will be presented.

Various organic and inorganic hazardous substances are commonly originated during the processing of virgin or recovered fibers (RCFs), when the pulp and paper (P\&P) are produced. Hence, pulp and paper industry (PPI) strongly need to employ advanced waste treatment processes as a powerful tool to comply with the stringent environmental regulations in one hand, and to increase their profitability in the current declining P\&P markets, on the other hand. Among the treatment alternatives, anaerobic digestion (AD), is an interesting cost-effective alternative with a small environmental footprint and has been increasingly adopted by the PPI to reach this goal. However, the application of AD to deal with wastes generated in P\&P mills has been restricted due to a number of limitations, regarding the anaerobic reactor design and the operating conditions. Hence, the optimization of the AD performance would be a crucial step in order to increase the economic benefits, and also to satisfy the strict environmental protection standards. To this end, this paper presents an overview on the current state of the developments associated with AD treatment of P\&P mill wastes to assess the applicability of this treatment process for the management of this type of complex wastes. In this context, suggestions are provided to maximize both biogas production and removal efficiency, focusing on the relationship between waste composition and reactor design and operational conditions, which will enhance methane capture and contribute to prevent global warming. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The generation of three-dimensional superb packages of compact hexagonal periodic assembly with multifaceted layers was demonstrated using Poly (styrene-butylcrylate-acrylic acid) on glass substrates. The synthesized P(St-BA-AA) microspheres were used to formulate a fast drying UV curable terpolymer microspheres printing ink for the generation of colloidal crystal microdots on ink-jet paper with remarkable colours. The terpolymer microspheres and their formulated terpolymer ink undergo self-assembly to form blue monochromatic and viewing angle dependent tunable colours, thus affirming the photonic nature of the generated colloidal crystal films. Unlike other printing techniques which usually make use of specialized tools, this study generated a well ordered coloured tunable assembly of spherical shaped core-shell colloidal crystal microdots on the surface of an inkjet-paper by manually writing the as-synthesized P(St-BA-AA) UV curable printing ink microdots on it. The TEM analysis showed core and shell sizes of 198/50nm and 176/30nm for P(St-BA-AA)1 and P(St- BA-AA)2 respectively. Whenever the prepared terpolymer microspheres are used within the heating and transition temperatures of 383 °C and 110 °C, their thermal stability is retained. This simple technique of generating crystals microdots on inkjet paper may find use in optical devices, security applications and other colour coating applications., Materials science; Nanotechnology; Poly(styrene-butyalcrylate-acrylic acid); Photonic crystals; Monodisperse core/shell; Terpolymer; Colloidal ink; Colloidal crystal microdots

This work demonstrates a stand-alone power source that integrates a paper-based hydrogen fuel cell with a customized chemical heater that produces hydrogen in-situ upon the addition of a liquid. The presented approach operates by capillary action and takes advantage of the hydrogen released as a by-product of an exothermic reaction used in point-of-care diagnostics. The paper-based fuel cell produces a maximum power of 25.8 mW (103.2 mW cm−2), which is suitable for powering a diversity of electrical devices such as commercially available digital pregnancy tests and glucometers. While device shape and dimensions can be customized, here it is shown that the fuel cell can be designed in a compact form factor and footprint comparable to a lateral flow test while providing a remarkable power output. This approach holds great promise for powering portable diagnostics, as the generated electric power could enable device functionalities required for advanced assays, such as device timing, actuation, and signal quantification. Part of the same liquid sample that is to be analyzed (urine, saliva, water, etc) could be used to trigger the hydrogen generation and start the fuel cell operation., J.P. Esquivel acknowledges support from Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship (APPOCS - GA.328144) within the 7th European Community Framework Programme. J. Buser and P. Yager were supported by a grant from DARPA DSO/BTO--HR0011-11-2-0007, awarded to Yager at the University of Washington. P. Yager was supported in part by funds from the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Washington. S. Rojas acknowledges financial support from project ENE2013-42322R. N. Sabaté would like to thank financial support received from ERC Consolidator Grant (SUPERCELL - GA.648518).

In this work, several cellulose board grades, including waste board, fluting, and waste milk container board, were pretreated with green choline chloride-urea deep eutectic solvent (DES) and nanofibrillated using a Masuko grinder. DES-treated bleached chemical birch pulp, NaOH-swollen waste board, and bleached chemical birch pulp were used as reference materials. The properties of the nanofibrils after disc grinding were compared with those obtained through microfluidization. Overall, the choline chloride-urea DES pretreatment significantly enhanced the nanofibrillation of the board pulps in both nanofibrillation methods—as compared with NaOH-treated pulps—and resulted in fine and long individual nanofibrils and some larger nanofibril bunches, as determined by field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The nanofibril suspensions obtained from the DES pretreatment had a viscous, gel-like appearance with shear thinning behavior. The nanofibrils maintained their initial crystalline structure with a crystallinity index of 61%–47%. Improved board handsheet properties also showed that DES-treated and Masuko-ground waste board and paper nanocellulose can potentially enhance the strength of the board. Consequently, the DES chemical pretreatment appears to be a promising route to obtain cellulose nanofibrils from waste board and paper.

In parallel with the development of nanoparticle coatings for protection of paper substrates, detailed descriptions of the surface topography with micro-to nanoscale roughness features are needed. In this work, papers have been coated with poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) nanoparticles including different types of vegetable oils and the surface roughness was evaluated at 2000 x 2000 mu m(2) to 0.2 x 0.2 mu m(2) length scales by combining non-contact optical profilometry (NCP) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The relationships between roughness data were studied for statistical roughness parameters, spatial roughness parameters and in the frequency domain. In order to compare AFM roughness more accurately, the original images were flattened to remove effects of the underlaying fibrous substrate and highlight features of the nanoparticle coating. More detailed information on the coating topography could be obtained by considering bearing ratio curves and histograms, where it was concluded that the oil-filledcoatings form a rather thin and continuous coating that closely follows the shape of the cellulose fibers. The relation between statistical roughness parameters from NCP and AFM follows an exponential trend with relatively low coefficient of determination. The increase in surface roughness with length scale showed a transition point attributed to short-and long-range surface features. Therefore, the correlation length was used as a spatial roughness parameter that provides a successful extrapolation of the average roughness over different length scales in a double logarithmic diagram with very high coefficient of determination. Based on the power spectral density, it was difficult to exactly distinguish between the different types of SMI/oil coatings, as they include similar nanoscale features. The frequency roughness parameters were better suited for extrapolation than statistical roughness parameters but little less efficient than the spatial roughness parameters. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pick-up felts and deposits in wet end splash areas and in storage tanks of paper machines contained large amounts of thiosulfate (80– 16 000 mg kg −1 , wet weight) and oxalate (20– 2300 mg kg −1 , wet weight). These anions were absent ( mg l −1 ) in process water and found in raw materials only in low concentrations (5– 10 mg kg −1 , wet weight). Similar and larger amounts of thiosulfate, sulfite and oxalate were generated de novo from sulfate and sheets of chemical pulp in a splash area simulator fed with artificial paper machine white water in the laboratory. Stainless steel UNS S30400 coupons placed in the simulator developed significant corrosion pits within 4 weeks. Pitting was most extensive under or vicinal to patches where large amount of thiosulfate and oxalate accumulated in the pulp sheet. Pitting of UNS S31600 occurred only vicinal to the pulp sheet. The pitted steel surfaces accumulated large amounts of silicon containing material. The biogenic conversion of sulfate into compounds of lower oxidation states occurred more extensively on stainless steel UNS S30400 than on UNS S31600.

Writing and publishing a scientific paper in academic journals is a highly competitive, time-consuming stepwise process. The road to scientific writing and publication is rarely straightforward. Scientific writing has uniform format, which is perplexing for the novice science writers due to its inflexible anatomy (structure) and physiology (functions). Many obstacles are allied with the scientific writing path which can be minimized by applying some simple guidelines and practices. The scientific papers have an almost similar format but, original articles are divided into distinct sections and each segment contains a specific type of information. The basic anatomy of scientific papers is mainly comprised of the structure of the various components of a scientific paper, including title, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusion, acknowledgments and references. However, the physiology of a scientific paper is difficult to understand. Early career researchers and trainees may be less familiar with the various components of scientific papers. In this study, we applied an observational approach to describe the essential steps to facilitate the readers and writers to understand the basic characteristics, anatomy and physiology of writing the various sections of a scientific paper for an academic science journal. Keywords: Scientific paper writing, Publication process, Paper structure, writing tips

The closure of water circuits within pulp and paper mills has resulted in a higher contamination load of the final mill effluent, which must consequently be further treated in many cases to meet the standards imposed by the legislation in force. Different treatment strategies based on advanced oxidation processes (ozonation and TiO2-photocatalysis), and their combination with biological treatment (MBR), are herein assessed for effluents of a recycled paper mill and a kraft pulp mill. Ozone treatment achieved the highest efficiency of all. The consumption of 2.4 g O3 L−1 resulted in about a 60% COD reduction treating the effluent from the kraft pulp mill at an initial pH = 7; although it only reached about a 35% COD removal for the effluent of the recycled paper mill. Otherwise, photocatalysis achieved about a 20–30% reduction of the COD for both type of effluents. In addition, the effluent from the recycled paper mill showed a higher biodegradability, so combinations of these AOPs with biological treatment were tested. As a result, photocatalysis did not report any significant COD reduction improvement whether being performed as pre- or post-treatment of the biological process; whereas the use of ozonation as post-biological treatment enhanced COD removal a further 10%, summing up a total 90% reduction of the COD for the combined treatment, as well as it also supposed an increase of the presence of volatile fatty acids, which might ultimately enable the resultant wastewater to be recirculated back to further biological treatment.

A systematic review into the literature surrounding industrial carbon capture has been performed, with a particular focus on costs per tonne of CO 2 avoided. The authors have reviewed 250 research articles in order to extract data regarding industrial CCS, focusing on four main carbon-emitting industries; the iron and steel industry, the refining industry, the pulp and paper industry and the cement industry. Only 25 costs were returned as part of the search, and across the four industries they suggested that the cost of carbon capture on industries after conversion to 2013 US Dollars is $20-140 per tonne of CO 2 avoided. The highest costs were found using amine scrubbing, the most mature technology, with other less mature technologies reporting lower costs, for example, calcium looping applied to the cement industry was reported to have costs of in the range of $20-75 per tonne avoided, with the only lower costs reported being in the pulp and paper industry reported between $16 and $35. However, the paucity of costing data increases the uncertainty surrounding industrial CCS, meaning that more economic data are required before any conclusive decisions can be made.

The oxygen electrodes in unitized regenerative fuel cells (URFC) must have high activities towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) as well as oxygen evolution reaction (OER), thus requiring high loading of noble metal electrocatalysts. In this study, porous Pt/IrO2/carbon paper (CP) electrocatalysts were developed to reduce the metal loading. The Pt/IrO2/CP electrodes were fabricated by sequential formation of IrO2 layers (loading 0.1 mg cm−2) and porous Pt layers (0–0.3 mg cm−2) on CP substrates by electrodeposition and spraying techniques, respectively. The fuel cell (FC) performances increased linearly up to 0.69 A cm−2 with increasing Pt loading (up to ~0.3 mg cm−2) at 0.6 V, whereas the water electrolysis (WE) activity was highest at Pt loading of 0.2 mg cm−2. The current densities in the FC and WE modes and round-trip efficiency of the developed Pt/IrO2/CP electrodes with the oxygen electrocatalysts loadings of 0.3 and 0.4 mg cm−2 were higher or comparable to previously reported values with higher loading (1.5–4.0 mg cm−2). These high performances with low loading are probably due to the facile oxygen and water transport through well-developed macropores originating from the open CP structures, providing effective utilization of the IrO2 and Pt electrocatalysts towards OER and ORR, respectively. Keywords: Unitized regenerative fuel cell, Oxygen electrode, Platinum, Iridium oxide

Biofouling causes important economic losses in the paper industry. To prevent or mitigate the effects of biofilms is necessary to implement microbiological control programmes based on monitoring programs which requires the evaluation of the biofilm growth kinetic taking into account the ability of microorganisms viability. The monitoring techniques must be rapid to minimise both costs and use of chemicals. This paper presents the study of the growth kinetics of two bacterial strains known for their high capacity to produce biofilms in paper mills. After the validation of flow cytometry as a technique for microbial growth monitoring, the development of segregated kinetic models based on cell physiological states data was carried out. The developed models can be used to design microbial control programs.

International audience; A fluorescent chitosan derivative was deposited layer-by-layer onto conventional paper sheets and its distribution, in terms of both spreading and penetration, was assessed by SEM observations and emission measurements. The results showed that, on the one hand the surface distribution was highly homogeneous and, on the other hand, the penetration of chitosan within the paper pores ceased after a three layer deposit, beyond which any additional coating only produced an increase in its overall thickness and film-forming aptitude. These results show that this modified chitosan can be used as probe to optimize and understand the mechanism of the deposition of chitosan onto paper and other substrates.

Production of porous anorthite ceramics from mixtures of paper processing residues and three different clays are investigated. Suitability of three different clays such as enriched clay, commercial clay and fireclay for manufacturing of anorthite based lightweight refractory bricks was studied. Porous character to the ceramic was provided by addition of paper processing residues (PPR). Samples with 30–40 wt% PPR fired at 1200–1400 °C contained anorthite (CaO·Al 2 O 3 ·2SiO 2 ) as major phase and some minor secondary phases such as mullite (3Al 2 O 3 ·2SiO 2 ) or gehlenite (2CaO·Al 2 O 3 ·SiO 2 ), depending on the calcite to clay ratio. Anorthite formation for all clay types was quite successful in samples with 30–40 wt% of paper residues fired at 1300 °C. A higher firing temperature of 1400 °C was needed for the fireclay added samples to produce a well sintered product with large pores. Gehlenite phase occurred mostly at lower temperatures and in samples containing higher amount of calcium (50 wt% PPR). Compressive strength of compacted and fired pellets consisting of mainly anorthite ranged from 8 to 43 MPa.

The capitula of Cynara cardunculus contain hairs and pappi representing 7% of the total plant biomass. These low density biomass components could be mechanically separated without apparent losses using a whole-plant processing prototype. Hairs and pappi are filamentous structures made up of longitudinally aligned fibre cells, without intercellular voids or pitting, with the following dimensions regarding length, width and wall thickness: 1.35mm, 19.8, and 4.8 m for hairs and 1.78mm, 10.4, and 2.9 m for pappi. Chemically hairs and pappi have low content of ash (1.9% and 1.1%, respectively), extractives (5.4% and 6.0%) and lignin (10.6% and 17.8%), and high content of holocellulose (77.5% and 72.8%) and -cellulose (55.2% and 46.8%). Pulps could be produced using a conventional kraft process with high yields and low residual lignin, e.g. 63% at Kappa 7 for hairs and 48% at Kappa 11 for pappi, low coarseness values (0.04 and 0.03mgm−1) and adequate pulp properties for paper (40 and 42Nmg−1 tensile index; 3.6 and 3.4 kPam2 g−1 burst index in unrefined pulps of hairs and pappi, respectively). The results also indicated that there is scope for improving pulp quality by optimising pulping conditions to this type of new raw materials. The differences between hairs and pappi may also be further exploited namely the lower lignin content of hairs and the higher slenderness and wall thickness of pappi fibres. The utilization of hairs and pappi may strengthen the differentiated use of biomass fractions of the Cynara plant and its potential as a bioenergy crop.

E-mail: delrio@irnase.csic.es (J.C. del Río), The chemical composition of the lipophilic extractives from jute (Corchorus capsularis) fibers, which are used for high-quality paper pulp manufacturing, was thoroughly studied. The extractives content was low (0.4%), and its composition was studied by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. For a better characterization of the different homologous series and compounds present in minor amounts, the extract was also fractionated by solid-phase extraction. The most predominant lipophilic compounds present in jute fibers were high molecular weight ester waxes (24% of total extract), followed by free fatty acids (17%), free fatty alcohols (17%) and α-hydroxyfatty acids (14%). Additionally, significant amounts of alkanes (6%), ω-hydroxyfatty acids (6%), sterols (6%), steroid and triterpenoids ketones (3%) and steryl glycosides (1%) were also identified, together with minor amounts of mono- and diglycerides.

This Special Issue of the International Journal of Fatigue contains selected papers presented at the International Conference on Multiaxial Fatigue and Fracture held in Seville, Spain, on 1–3 June 2016.

aDepartment of Molecular Microbiology, CIB, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Velázquez 144, E-28006 Madrid, Spain; bDepartment of Textile and Paper Engineering, ETSII, Polytechnic University of Catalunya (UPC), Colón 11, E-08222 Terrassa, Spain; cDepartment of Biogeochemistry, IRNAS, CSIC, PO Box 1052, E-41080, Seville, Spain; dCelulosas de Levante SA (CELESA), Ctra. C-237, km 4.5, E-43500 Tortosa, Spain, High-quality flax pulp was bleached in a totally-chlorine-free (TCF) sequence using a laccase-mediator system. Three fungal laccases (from Pycnoporus cinnabarinus, Trametes versicolor and Pleurotus eryngii) and two mediators, 2,2´-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (HBT), were compared. P. cinnabarinus and T. versicolor laccases in the presence of HBT gave the best results in terms of high brightness and low lignin content (kappa number). The former laccase also resulted in the best preservation of cellulose and the largest removal of residual lignin as revealed by analytical pyrolysis, and was selected for subsequent TCF bleaching. Up to 90% delignification and strong brightness increase were attained after a laccase-mediator treatment followed by H2O2 bleaching. This TCF sequence was further improved by applying H2O2 under pressurized O2. In this way, we obtained up to 82% ISO brightness (compared with 37% in the initial pulp, and 60% in the peroxide-bleached control) and very low kappa number (near 1). Good results were also found when the laccase-mediator treatment was performed in a bioreactor under pressurized oxygen. The pulp properties obtained, which could not be attained by conventional TCF bleaching of flax pulp, demonstrate the feasibility of enzymatic bleaching to substitute chlorine-containing reagents in manufacturing of these high-price paper pulps., This study was supported by the European Commission (contract QLK3-99-590), the Spanish CICYT (FEDER project 2FD97-0896-C02, and projects AGL2002-00393, BIO2002-1166 and PPQ2000-1068-C02-02), the Comunidad de Madrid, and the CSIC network on “Bioremediation and Phytoremediation”.

Enzymatic versus chemical deinking is examined for MOW and photocopy prints. Several enzymatic preparations and two fibre/ink particle separation methods are tested. Deinking was monitored by image analysis and standard pulp and paper characterisation procedures. The effectiveness of the fibre/ink particle separation method depends on the ink particle’s size: for smaller particles a washing step is recommended whereas for larger particles, the use of flotation is necessary. The enzymatic treatment is a competitive alternative for MOW and photocopy paper deinking. However, the process requires the selection of an adequate enzymatic preparation for each paper grade.

aCentro de Investigaciones Biológicas, CSIC, Ramiro de Maeztu 9, E-28040 Madrid, Spain bInstituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología, CSIC, PO Box 1042, E-41080 Sevilla, Spain cENCE, CIT, Carretera de Campañó s/n, E-36157 Pontevedra, Spain, In the context of environmentally-friendly bleaching in paper pulp manufacturing, an enzymatic procedure was developed for the isolation of residual lignins from eucalypt pulp. The method was based on the hydrolysis and complete solubilization of pulp cellulose using a combination of Trichoderma cellulase and Aspergillus beta-glucosidase, followed by lignin purification using Bacillus protease (for hydrolysis of contaminating cellulase) and extraction of lignin with dimethylacetamide and NaOH. This method was applied to both unbleached and totally chlorine free bleached eucalypt kraft pulps. The different fractions obtained were analyzed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to evaluate the effect of the different isolation steps, and optimize the lignin isolation procedure. Depending of the type of pulp and its delignification degree most of the lignin was recovered from the cellulase hydrolyzate or the non-hydrolyzable residue. High-purity lignins were obtained from pulps by a new isolation procedure that included double solvent purification after combining the two fractions from protease treatment. This method is being used to analyze the effect of chlorine-free reagents (including enzymes) in clean bleaching sequences., This study has been supported by ENCE, the EU-Contract QLK5-99-1357, and the Spanish project AGL2002-00393.

1)Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla, P.O. Box 1052, 41080-Seville, Spain; 2)ENCE-CIT, Ctra. Campañó, Ribeiro-Vao, 36157 Pontevedra, Spain; 3)Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Ramiro de Maeztu 9, E-28040 Madrid, Spain. E-mail address: delrio@irnase.csic.es (J.C. del Río), A set of Eucalyptus globulus woods from different origins and growth conditions, giving a wide range of pulp yields (from 40% to 60%) upon kraft cooking, was analyzed using Py-GC/MS. The carbohydrate-derived compounds and the compounds derived from syringyl (S) and guaiacyl (G) lignin units were analyzed and the lignin/carbohydrate and S/G ratios determined. Eucalypt woods giving higher pulp yield released higher amounts of S-type compounds upon Py-GC/MS. A significant correlation was observed between pulp yield and the lignin composition in terms of the S/G ratio. By contrast, the lignin/carbohydrate ratio obtained by Py-GC/MS, did not show a significant correlation with the pulp yield. This indicates that the lignin composition is a more important parameter influencing pulp yield than the lignin content., This study has been supported by Grupo Empresarial ENCE S.A. and the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (MCyT) (project AGL2002-00393). A.G. acknowledges a "Ramón y Cajal" contract of the Spanish MCyT.

Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología, CSIC, P.O. Box 1052, E-41080, Seville, Spain E-mail address: delrio@irnase.csic.es, The composition of pitch deposits occurring in pulp sheets and mill circuits during soda/anthraquinone pulping and elemental chlorine-free pulp bleaching of bast fibers of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa) has been studied. Pitch deposits were extracted with acetone, and the extracts analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Acetone extracts (15-25% of pitch deposits) were constituted by the defoamers used at the mill and by lipophilic extractives from hemp fibers. Acetone-insoluble residues (75-85% of pitch deposits) were analyzed by pyrolysis-GC/MS in the presence and absence of tetramethylammonium hydroxide. These residues were constituted by salts of fatty acids (arising from hemp fibers) with calcium, magnesium, aluminum and other cations that were identified in the deposits. It was concluded that inappropriate use of defoamer together with the presence of multivalent ions seemed to be among the causes of hemp extractives deposition in the pitch problems reported here., This study has been supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (MCYT) and FEDER funds (projects 2FD97-0896-C02-02 and AGL2002-00393). A.G. acknowledges a "Ramón y Cajal" contract of the Spanish MCYT. We also thank CELESA (Tortosa, Spain) for providing the samples.

The electrochemically coated conducting paper based point-of-care diagnostics using amperometric sensing principles for troponin detection has been demonstrated in the present report. The cost-effective and stable conducting polymer coating was achieved on papers using screen printing followed by electrochemical deposition techniques for the first time. The cyclic voltammetric analysis has revealed the stable and uniform conducting polyaniline (PANI) coating onto filter papers fabricated using the simple and novel approach. These strips were found to be very sensitive for the futuristic diagnostics and the concept was proved by utilizing these strips for the troponin detection in a wide physiological range (1–100 ng/mL) with sensitivity of 5.5 μA/ng mL−1 cm−2. Association constant of the electrode has been found to be 1.2×1013 Lmol−1. Keywords: Conducting paper, Screen-printed electrode, Polyaniline, Biosensor, Troponin

International audience; Wheat gluten coated papers containing carvacrol (15wt%) as anti-microbial agent and montmorillonite (0-7wt%) as filler were investigated as anti-microbial controlled delivery systems. The carvacrol losses were followed during the coating process and storage time at 30 infinity C under controlled RH from 40 to 100% RH. Increasing MMT content limited carvacrol losses during the coating process. A mathematical model based on Fick's second law was used to determine the apparent diffusivities of carvacrol from experimental data of kinetic release at 30 infinity C and controlled RH. Diffusivity values varied from 0.143 x 10(-14) m(2)/s (0wt% MMT, 40% RH) to 6.010 x 10(-14) m(2)/s (5wt% MMT, 100%RH) depending on both MMT% and RH. The carvacrol diffusivities increased with increasing RH, and the presence of a high amount of MMT(>= 5wt%) accentuated the RH-induced effect. Specific aggregated structure was evidenced by SEM and TEM in the presence of carvacrol and 5wt% MMT creating a preferential pathway for carvacrol diffusion. The anti-microbial efficiency of the MMT-WG-coated papers toward Escherichia Coil was assessed and showed that the antimicrobial effect was related to the carvacrol diffusivity. The diffusivity coefficients were utilized to optimize the packaging characteristics required to develop an efficient anti-microbial system and were finally validated against Botrytis cinerea.

A pilot plant study has been carried out to compare the effectiveness of different low pressure membrane systems (microfiltration and ultrafiltration) as pretreatments for a reverse osmosis system producing high quality reclaimed water from the effluent of a municipal wastewater treatment plant receiving a high percentage of industrial wastewater. The reclaimed water will be used to substitute fresh water in a paper mill. Although the implemented systems showed several problems derived from the unstable quality of the feed water, they were solid enough to keep a constant permeate quality; i.e. percentages of salt rejection above 99%, efficiencies in the removal of microorganisms to lower values than 1 CFU/100 mL, and final COD results below the detection limit (

An equation solver data reconciliation software has been used to build a validated model of a waste paper deinking plant, by combining control rooms measurements and design specifications. An optimal sensor system configuration that allows validating key performance indicators by using only control room measurements has been determined by identifying, with genetic algorithm programming, the additional sampling points and corresponding sensors required for a minimum cost sensor system configuration.

An ad-hoc data reconciliation procedure developed for the recausticizing section of a new pulp and paper industry is presented in this work. A comprehensive model was formulated to take into account different unit operation modes. It was also extended to incorporate specific knowledge of some pieces of equipment to increase redundancy, and consequently enhance estimate precision and gross error detectability.

Advantages and disadvantages of the concept of an industrial complex are discussed. From an environmental standpoint an ideal industrial complex is one containing a group of compatible industrial plants utilizing completely each other's wastes and products as raw materials and manufacturing products with no adverse environmental impact and at a minimum of cost. A typical complex centering about a pulp and papermill is pictured in this paper. This complex produces six products for external sale and four products for internal use. In addition, all major wastes of suspended solids, cooking liquor, fillers, heat and bark are reused within the complex in the manufacture of these products. A literature review evolved typical concentrations of recoverable suspended solids in various process effluents. A mass balance was prepared assuming that the total production of fine paper is 907.2 kg × 103 (1000 tons) per day. Little or no air or water pollution results from this complex. In addition, it is anticipated that no expensive waste-water treatment plant would be required for this complex. Ten additional practices are described which, when used, will reduce operating costs even further. A continuing study with more precise data on the production requirements for the service plants in the complex will yield a more balanced and realistic system.

Damage, be it breakage, deformation or wear is initiated by overstraining or overstressina. Full modelling of both these causes is not possible today and one resorts to “simulation” to produce the data needed by design engineers to predict function loss. The question then is: how reliable is the data furnished by simulation? The answer is brought by the analysis of data produced in fretting tests which show that even very small variations in running conditions, in this case in amplitude, can change the nature of the damage. Simulation tests have to be undertaken with the utmost care.

Spall detachment in coatings is modelled as a cracked coated medium submitted to contact loading. Few models analyse the role of interfacial cracks between coating and substrate. The existing models are limited in use, due to assumptions on number and location of displacement zones (stick, slip, open) along crack faces. Further only ones crack is analysed at a time. A spall detachment is analysed as a combination of an interfacial crack that propagates at the interface and a surface breaking crack that propagates normally to the interface. These two cracks are analysed simultaneously. The energy release rate G is determined at crack tips. The method employed is half-analytical and half-numerical. Results show that, for the case studied, crack interaction favours crack propagation. The following spall detachment process is proposed: the surface breaking crack propagates down to the interface and the interfacial crack propagates at the interface in a direction opposite to that of the load displacement.