Open AccessCarrageenan as a dry strength additive for papermaking
Author(s) -
Zhenhua Liu,
Xinping Li,
Wei Xie
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0171326
Subject(s) - papermaking , carrageenan , ultimate tensile strength , cationic polymerization , chemistry , tear resistance , polyacrylamide , materials science , nuclear chemistry , chemical engineering , composite material , food science , polymer chemistry , engineering
Carrageenans are commercially important sulfated gums found in various species of red seaweeds (Rhodophyta), wherein they serve a structural function similar to that of pectins in land plants. In this study, carrageenan was used independently or in combination with cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) and/or Al 2 (SO 4 ) 3 to explore its application as a dry strength additive in papermaking. Strength index determination, ash content detection, FTIR characterization and SEM observation were performed on prepared handsheets. The results showed that with 0.6% Al 2 (SO 4 ) 3 and 0.2% carrageenan as additives, the tensile index increased by 13.53% and precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) retention increased by 57.06%. With 0.6% Al 2 (SO 4 ) 3 , 0.2% carrageenan and 0.03% CPAM as additives, PCC retention increased by 121% while the tensile index did not fall compared to handsheets without additives, indicating that carrageenan could enhance the strength of handsheets and be used as an anionic dry strength agent.