Nanoparticle Fillers Obtained from Wood Processing Wastes for Reinforcing of Paper.

Paper sheets were produced from bleached kraft pulp, and office and newsprint waste paper. Nanoparticles from black alder bark, grey alder bark and pine bark as well as birch sawdust were obtained for using them as reinforcing fillers in paper. Non-extracted bark and that extracted in biorefinery were used. For producing nanoparticles, the materials were destructed using the thermocatalytic destruction method and then dispersed in water medium in a ball mill. At a sufficient concentration, gel-like dispersions were obtained, which contained nanoparticles with the size ∼300 nm. The dispersions were introduced in paper furnish in different amounts. It has been established that all the nanoparticle fillers increase the tensile index and burst index in dry and wet states. The nanoparticle fillers from extracted bark increase the mechanical indices to a higher extent. At 20% filler content, tensile index in a dry state increases in the case of non-extracted grey alder bark, black alder bark and pine bark by 28, 30 and 15%, and in the case of extracted ones - by 44, 40 and 30%, respectively; the burst index increases by 78, 19 and 4%, and 91, 25 and 14%, respectively. The nanoparticle filler from birch sawdust increases the tensile strength in a dry state by 9% and burst index by 20%. The obtained nanoparticle fillers slightly improve also the water resistance of paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]