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  • Researchpp 442-458Vainio, A. K., and Paulapuro, H. (2007). "Interfiber bonding and fiber segment activation in paper," BioRes. 2(3), 442-458.AbstractPDF
    Bonding and activation in paper were studied with the help of laboratory test sheets and common paper strength tests. Different papermaking furnishes and raw material treatments were used to examine the effects they have on bonding and activation. Furthermore, various boundary conditions during drying were included to single out the influence of bonding and activation on paper properties. It was found that bonding is clearly increased by beating of kraft pulp, starch addition, and thermomechanical pulp fines, whereas activation benefited most from beating and addition of reinforcement fibers to mechanical pulp based furnishes. Subjecting test sheets to increasing amounts of drying stress affected activation positively, and bonding negatively. The increase in activation did not seem to be dependent on the beating degree of chemical pulp fibers. Bonding, on the other hand, deteriorated more significantly in sheets made of extensively beaten kraft fibers, i.e. in sheets where the initial bonding potential was higher. Commonly used paper strength measurements provide dependable and accurate tools for assessing the effect of different variables on both bonding and activation. A short literature survey of bonding and activation is also provided.
  • Researchpp 459-471Parasuraman, P., Singh, R., Bolton, T. S., Omori, S., and Francis, R. C. (2007). "Estimation of hardwood lignin concentrations by UV spectroscopy and chlorine demethylation," BioRes. 2(3), 459-471.AbstractPDF
    Major projects are underway in our laboratory focusing on mildly acidic (pH>3) and alkaline (pH<10) pretreatments of hardwood chips prior to incineration for electric power or prior to pulping for paper manufacture. Production of lignocellulosic ethanol from the hemicelluloses in the hydrolyzates will be attempted. It is of great interest to quantify the concentrations of lignin in these hydrolyzates, since lignin fragments are suspected as fermentation inhibitors. UV spectroscopy is normally used to estimate the concentration of aqueous soluble lignin. However, the 203 nm absorbance gave unreliable results for these hydrolyzates, and on some occasions the 278 nm absorbance was unduly influenced by high absorbance in the 260-265 nm range. A credible method that uses chlorination to generate methanol from the methoxyl groups in lignin will be described. Model compound experiments showed that syringyl lignin units, with two methoxyl groups, gave a methanol yield of ~1.0 mmole/ mmole of aromatic rings.
  • Reviewpp 472-499Taherdazeh, M. J., and Karimi, K. (2007). "Acid-based hydrolysis processes for ethanol from lignocellulosic materials: A review," BioRes. 2(3), 472-499.AbstractPDF
    Bioethanol is nowadays one of the main actors in the fuel market. It is currently produced from sugars and starchy materials, but lignocelluloses can be expected to be major feedstocks for ethanol production in the future. Two processes are being developed in parallel for conversion of lignocelluloses to ethanol, “acid-based” and “enzyme-based” processes. The current article is dedicated to review of progress in the “acid-based-hydrolysis” process. This process was used industrially in the 1940s, during wartime, but was not economically competitive afterward. However, intensive research and development on its technology during the last three decades, in addition to the expanding ethanol market, may revive the process in large scale once again. In this paper the ethanol market, the composition of lignocellulosic materials, concentrated- and dilute-acid pretreatment and hydrolysis, plug-flow, percolation, counter-current and shrinking-bed hydrolysis reactors, fermentation of hexoses and pentoses, effects of fermentation inhibitors, downstream processing, wastewater treatment, analytical methods used, and the current commercial status of the acid-based ethanol processes are reviewed.
  • Reviewpp 500533Hubbe, M. A., and Heitmann, J. A. (2007). "Review of factors affecting the release of water from cellulosic fibers during paper manufacture," BioRes. 2(3), 500-533.AbstractPDF
    The ease with which water is released from cellulosic fiber material during the manufacturing of paper can affect both the production rate and the consumption of energy during the manufacturing process. Important theoretical contributions to dewatering phenomena have been based on flow through packed beds of uniformly distributed fibers. Such descriptions are able to explain why resistance to dewatering increases as a function of the hydrodynamic surface area of fibers. More recent studies have demonstrated a critical role of finely divided matter. If the fines are unattached to fibers, then they tend to move freely through the fiber mat and plug channels in the paper web during the dewatering process. Dewatering also is affected by the deformability of cellulosic fibers and by whether the fibers easily slide past each other, thereby forming a dense mat. By emphasizing the role of fine matter, colloidal forces, and conformability of cellulosic materials, one can gain a more realistic understanding of strategies that papermakers use to enhance initial drainage and vacuum-induced dewatering.

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