Obtaining and Utilizing Cellulose Fibers with in-Situ Loading as an Additive for Printing Paper

The goal of this study was to analyze the effects of cellulose fibers loading by precipitation of calcium carbonate over the properties of printing paper obtained from mixtures of the softwood and hardwood fibers. The effects of fibers with loading were analyzed comparatively with conventional paper loading respectively, by adding precipitated calcium carbonate into fiber stock. The effectiveness of the methods was evaluated by various analyses and investigations: calcium carbonate content, Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images, X-ray diffraction, optical and mechanical properties of the paper sheets. The evaluation of the effects on paper properties led to the conclusion that, at the same filler content, the loading method gives higher opacity and brightness than conventional methods. The utilization of cellulose fibers with loading as additive, shown as a modification of the ratio between fibers with loading and fibers without loading, regardless of whether they are softwood or hardwood fibers, allowed us to optimize printing paper properties, especially regarding the relationship between optical and strength properties.