文摘
Although high-yield pulps (HYP) are gaining increasing use to replace hardwood kraft pulp in paper grades such as uncoated and coated fine papers, the amount has been typically limited to less than 20% because there are concerns about its potential impact on papermaking operation and product quality. To address these concerns, laboratory experiments that mimic the actual paper machine operation were carried out and coated paper samples from mill trials were examined to clarify the impact of high-level HYP substitution on the properties of coated wood-free papers. Results showed that the HYP substitution, even at 40%, did not yield negative effects on strength properties such as tensile and tear; in fact the Scott bond increased with the HYP addition. The small increase in the surface roughness from the HYP addition can be eliminated by the filler addition, precalendering, and coating process. The lower brightness and CIE (Commission Internationale d'Eclairage) whiteness of the HYP can be compensated for by the addition of optical brightening agents (OBAs) and dyes, as well as pigments in the coating color. The analysis of samples collected from mill trials indicated that coated paper containing 40% HYP has lower coating penetration than that containing 40% HYP content paper samples. This was attributed to the smaller pore size created by HYP substitution. No significant differences were found between the samples containing 17 and 40% HYP on print gloss, color gamut, and print gloss uniformity. The implication from this study is that the HYP substitution level can be increased up to 40% in the production of coated wood-free paper without significant negative effect on the paper quality.