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Steadily increasing production cost in the paper industry require more efficient resource allocation and utilization of recycled materials and the use of renewable materials and additives to become more environmentally friendly. With this project, 100 g/m² TAPPI handsheets from industrial processed OCC fiber material were produced, without starch and starch in cooked and uncooked form, air-dried at 23°C and contact-dried at 120°C. Starch addition levels were 6.0, 18.0 and 24.0 kg/mt (12.0, 36.0, and 48.0 lbs./st) for pearl and cationic starch, and 2.0, 6.0 and 8.0 kg/mt (4.0, 12.0, and 16.0 lbs./st) for tapioca starch. Fines were measured with a Britt Jar devise having a 75 μm (200 mesh) screen. The highest tensile index improvement of 35.71% for uncooked tapioca starch at an addition rate of 16 lbs./st. The highest tear index improvement of 1.86% was for pearl starch at an addition rate of 12 lbs./st for the cooked & contact dried application. The highest burst index improvement of the produced handsheets was for uncooked & contact dried cationic starch at an addition rate of 12 lbs./st with an improvement of 21.49%. Application of pearl starch showed the largest difference in fines content at the 12 lbs./st and 48 lbs./st of fiber concentrations, reducing the fines content by 22.2% and 24.7% based on solids content respectively. Pearl starch outperformed cationic and tapioca starch products and showed the highest potential for fiber savings and net profit value.

The potential usefulness of an invasive common reed as biomass feed to a biorefinery was investigated. This investigation focused on the cellulosic fiber and a comparison of with and without a hot-water extraction (HWE) pretreatment process step. Handsheets were made before and after bleaching and compared to handsheets made from other pulped grass family (Poaceae) fibers. Machine-made simulated copy-grade paper was compared with and without HWE at varied percentages of reed replacement for hardwood fiber in the furnish. The HWE appeared to cause a dramatic increase in the tensile and burst strength while the tear strength reduced slightly. The effects of HWE on woody biomass strength properties were compared.

Increasing the filler content in paper to reduce the cost of materials is an ongoing effort among papermakers. Selecting the proper calcium carbonate additive for each type of paper is the key to achieving this goal. Calcium carbonate is the most widely used filler material in the paper industry. On average, it is applied at levels of 18% to 30%. Quality requirements of each type of paper vary widely, according to use; understanding the effect that different types of calcium carbonate have on paper properties allows producers to choose the best filler for each use. Given that the market for uncoated digital printing paper is expected to grow, this study focused on selecting the optimal calcium carbonate for the production of uncoated digital printing paper made from 100% eucalyptus pulp. In this study, 13 varieties of calcium carbonates were used to prepare handsheets for the detailed analyses of structural, optical, and strength properties. The samples included nine varieties of precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) (two rhombic and seven scalenohedral, covering a particle size range from 1.2 μm to 2.9 μm) and four varieties of ground calcium carbonate (GCC) (three anionic and one cationic, with a particle size range of 0.7 μm to 1.5 μm). From the results of this study, we determined that the optimal calcium carbonate for uncoated digital printing paper made from eucalyptus pulp is scalenohedral PCC with a particle size of 1.9 μm, because of its positive effects on caliper, stiffness, brightness, and opacity.