Nowadays, recycled paper is broadly used due to environmental reasons. Furthermore, the addition of starch as a dry strength additive improves the properties of recycled paper. Poly-Lactic Acid (PLA), a product from b...Nowadays, recycled paper is broadly used due to environmental reasons. Furthermore, the addition of starch as a dry strength additive improves the properties of recycled paper. Poly-Lactic Acid (PLA), a product from bio-refinery process, has recently been shown to act as a promising strength additive that could be used in combination with starch to further improve the strength of paper. In this study, the use of PLA of three molecular weights (MW) in combination with four different starches was investigated. Three recycled pulps from different origins, with the kappa number of 27.9 to 66 were used. Paper handsheets were made, and selected paper properties were tested. The results indicate that handsheets properties were influenced by the MW of PLAs, the type of starch used, and the lignin content of the pulp. The paper handsheets made from lignin-rich pulp (pulp A, kappa number 66), combined with 0.1% medium MW PLA (PLA_1) and 0.9% cationic starch containing 0.43% N gave the highest improvement for tensile strength, wet tensile strength, air and water resistance. This result verifies that a higher kappa number pulp has better attraction to the hydrophobic PLA. Moreover, the higher charge cationic starch led to higher tensile strength due to the increase of affinity to the anionic fiber surface. Interestingly, results show that amphoteric starch is a promising substitute for high cationic charge starch when combined with the medium MW PLA to improve tensile strength of paper. This study demonstrated that a starch-PLA blend represents a promising approach in improving properties of recycled paper.展开更多
Three-dimensional porous poly-lactic acid(PLA) scaffold was fabricated using fused deposition modeling(FDM) method including 30%, 50% and 70% nominal porosity. Study of phases in initial polymeric material and printed...Three-dimensional porous poly-lactic acid(PLA) scaffold was fabricated using fused deposition modeling(FDM) method including 30%, 50% and 70% nominal porosity. Study of phases in initial polymeric material and printed scaffolds was done by X-ray diffraction(XRD), and no significant phase difference was observed due to the manufacturing process, and the poly-lactic acid retains its crystalline properties. The results of the mechanical properties evaluation by the compression test show that the mechanical properties of the scaffold have decreased significantly with increasing the porosity of scaffold. The microstructure of scaffolds were studied by scanning electron microscope(SEM), showing that the pores had a regular arrangement and their morphology changed with porosity change. The mechanical properties of the poly-lactic acid scaffolds printed using fused deposition modeling, can be adapted to the surrounding tissue, by porosity change.展开更多
文摘Nowadays, recycled paper is broadly used due to environmental reasons. Furthermore, the addition of starch as a dry strength additive improves the properties of recycled paper. Poly-Lactic Acid (PLA), a product from bio-refinery process, has recently been shown to act as a promising strength additive that could be used in combination with starch to further improve the strength of paper. In this study, the use of PLA of three molecular weights (MW) in combination with four different starches was investigated. Three recycled pulps from different origins, with the kappa number of 27.9 to 66 were used. Paper handsheets were made, and selected paper properties were tested. The results indicate that handsheets properties were influenced by the MW of PLAs, the type of starch used, and the lignin content of the pulp. The paper handsheets made from lignin-rich pulp (pulp A, kappa number 66), combined with 0.1% medium MW PLA (PLA_1) and 0.9% cationic starch containing 0.43% N gave the highest improvement for tensile strength, wet tensile strength, air and water resistance. This result verifies that a higher kappa number pulp has better attraction to the hydrophobic PLA. Moreover, the higher charge cationic starch led to higher tensile strength due to the increase of affinity to the anionic fiber surface. Interestingly, results show that amphoteric starch is a promising substitute for high cationic charge starch when combined with the medium MW PLA to improve tensile strength of paper. This study demonstrated that a starch-PLA blend represents a promising approach in improving properties of recycled paper.
文摘Three-dimensional porous poly-lactic acid(PLA) scaffold was fabricated using fused deposition modeling(FDM) method including 30%, 50% and 70% nominal porosity. Study of phases in initial polymeric material and printed scaffolds was done by X-ray diffraction(XRD), and no significant phase difference was observed due to the manufacturing process, and the poly-lactic acid retains its crystalline properties. The results of the mechanical properties evaluation by the compression test show that the mechanical properties of the scaffold have decreased significantly with increasing the porosity of scaffold. The microstructure of scaffolds were studied by scanning electron microscope(SEM), showing that the pores had a regular arrangement and their morphology changed with porosity change. The mechanical properties of the poly-lactic acid scaffolds printed using fused deposition modeling, can be adapted to the surrounding tissue, by porosity change.