Sustainable Materials from Organosolv Fibers and Lignin, Kraft Fibers, and Their Blends
2024 (English)In: Polymers, E-ISSN 2073-4360, Vol. 16, no 3, article id 377
Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
The aim of this study was to investigate new materials from organosolv fibers, organosolv lignin, kraft fibers, and their blends. The organosolv fibers showed reprecipitated lignin on the surface, a comparably low fiber length of 0.565 mm on average, and a high fines content of 82.3%. Handsheets were formed and thermopressed at 175 °C and 50 MPa, yielding dense materials (1050–1100 kg/m3) with properties different to that of regular paper products. The thermopressing of organosolv fibers alone produced materials with similar or better tensile strength (σb = 18.6 MPa) and stiffness (E* = 2.8 GPa) to the softwood Kraft reference pulp (σb = 14.8 MPa, E* = 1.8 GPa). The surface morphology was also smoother with fewer cavities. As a result, the thermopressed organosolv fibers exhibited higher hydrophobicity (contact angle > 95°) and had the lowest overall water uptake. Combinations of Kraft fibers with organosolv fibers or organosolv lignin showed reduced wetting and a higher density than the Kraft fibers alone. Furthermore, the addition of organosolv lignin to Kraft fibers greatly improved tensile stiffness and strength (σb = 23.8 MPa, E* = 10.5 GPa), likely due to the lignin acting as a binder to the fiber network. In conclusion, new thermopressed materials were developed and tested, which show promising potential for sustainable fiber materials with improved water resistance.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) , 2024. Vol. 16, no 3, article id 377
Keywords [en]
added-lignin thermoformed pulps, green materials, Kraft pulp, molded pulp, organosolv fibers, thermoforming, Anatomy, Contact Angle, Fibers, Stiffness, Tensile Strength, Wetting, Morphology, Surface morphology, Added-lignin thermoformed pulp, Fiber length, Fines content, Kraft fibers, Moulded pulp, Organosolv, Organosolv fiber, Organosolv lignin, Sustainable materials, Lignin
National Category
Materials Engineering
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-71954DOI: 10.3390/polym16030377Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85184694922OAI: oai:DiVA.org:ri-71954DiVA, id: diva2:1840983
Funder
The Research Council of Norway, 257622
Note
Correspondence Address: J. Ruwoldt; RISE PFI AS, Trondheim, Høgskoleringen 6B, 7491, Norway; This article was funded by the Research Council of Norway via the FME Centre for environmentally friendly energy research Bio4Fuel, grant number 257622.
2024-02-272024-02-272025-09-23Bibliographically approved