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For a hygiene paper such as tissue and towel, strength, softness, and absorbency are known as attributes that a user is looking for. It is proposed here that purchasing decisions are likely to be influenced by in-use experiences, which may be quite different from the physical properties measured with current standardized tests. There have been continuous efforts on developing physical test methods to replace subjective in-use tests because the benefits of the former are too significant to be overlooked. This paper considered some in-use test methods for paper towel products that can be carried out by panel members quickly in the course of sensory panel testing. In addition, laboratory tests were developed in an attempt to quantify such input. The sensory panel testing showed that (wet) strength and absorbency were the key contributions to the performance of paper towels. Softness did not show any significant contribution to it. Wet strength showed a high correlation with absorbency. The (wet) ball burst strength had the highest correlation with the in-use strength. Although both the tensile strength and the ball burst strength had a high correlation with preference, the ball burst tester is preferred because more reproducible and simpler to operate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of pulp and paper from recycled paper generates significant quantities of deinking paper sludge (DPS). This sludge contains a significant amount of organic matter (36%) as well as heavy metals such as Pb, Zn, and Cr. In this work, the incorporation of DPS (0%, 8%, 10%, and 12%) in the manufacture of clay bricks leads to valorization of this waste by showing that two of its contents considered problematic (organic matter and heavy metals) have several positive effects. It was found that the organic parts were transformed into pores after brick firing (850°C), which improved thermal insulation while keeping mechanical resistance in conformity with usual standards. For the heavy metals, which make DPS a hazardous waste, a leaching test was employed. The results show that these metals were trapped in the ceramic matrix after the firing of bricks at a high temperature, resulting in a final product that was not dangerous. Other tests were carried out on bricks with DPS to evaluate density, water absorption, shrinkage, loss on ignition, porosity, and microstructure in order to characterize this new product. It was concluded that DPS can be used in clay bricks as an asset for the formation of pores to enhance thermal insulation. The addition of DPS can be optimized at 10% to comply with the standard and not exceed the required values for shrinkage, water absorption, and loss on ignition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work is to promote the use of agricultural waste (sugarcane bagasse, banana fibers, and rice husk) in the creation of handcrafted paper. This work alters the manufacturing process by utilizing various cellulose ratios derived from different agricultural residues. Craft papers have been made with the use of a fairly straightforward and environmentally benign process known as the handmade technique, which includes these raw residues in various ratios. The physico-mechanical properties are measured for synthesized sheets with an appropriate basis weight (63-80 g/m²), thickness (20-300 m), burst strength (58.9-105.2 kPa), burst index (1.03-1.67 kPa m²/g), and bulk (1.06 - 3.12 cm³/g), respectively. It is demonstrated that the used ingredients are cost-effective and eco-friendly. In addition, it is found that the quality of the handmade paper sample composition formed with a blend of 20% rice husk, 30% sugarcane bagasse, and 50% banana fiber, is relatively high. This study demonstrates that agricultural waste can provide viable alternatives for the industries that produce handmade paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bast fiber from paper-mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera) has long been utilized for handmade paper in Asia, serving as a prominent non-wood cellulose material. When restoring paper cultural assets, selecting a similar paper to the original ensures longevity and prevents deterioration issues like warping or tearing. The production of handmade paper involves several processes, including refining, steaming, and bleaching of raw materials. Once formed into sheets, the physical properties of the paper are dictated by these materials and remain unchanged unless the paper is newly made. Handmade paper production is labor-intensive and time-consuming, emphasizing the need for careful raw material selection to match desired characteristics. This study evaluated the dendrological, morphological, anatomical, and chemical compositions of three paper-mulberry wood types cultivated in Korea and inferred their suitability as pulp for papermaking or repair of archival paper specimens. Paper-mulberry wood showed differences in fiber length according to molecular phylogenetic characteristics, but there were no differences in anatomical characteristics owing to the immaturity of the wood. This study investigated the characteristics of the bast fibers from the bark of paper-mulberry trees with different genetic traits to identify favorable factors likely to affect the pulp and papermaking process and paper quality.

The biodegradation kinetics of paper materials with various chemical additives was studied, focusing on their potential tunability. Paper materials with additives, including retention aid, hydrophobic agent, and wet and dry strength agents, were explored in two forms: disintegrated fiber and paper form. Using the Gompertz equation, biodegradation kinetics were modeled to calculate the lag phase, initial biodegradation rate, and ultimate biodegradation extent. All paper materials showed higher biodegradation extents than microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) due to the highly biodegradable nature of hardwood bleached pulp. Disintegrated paper materials exhibited similar lag phase values and ultimate biodegradation to MCC regardless of treatment, while punched paper materials showed noticeable differences, suggesting that fiber disintegration plays a critical role in initiating biodegradation. Hydrophobic and wet strength treatments, such as alkyl ketone dimer (AKD) and wet-strength agents (PAE), respectively, significantly increased the lag phase, but their ultimate biodegradation extent remained intact. These findings highlight that the biodegradability of paper materials can be preserved even after chemical treatments, underscoring their environmentally friendly potential.

Packaging waste makes up more than 10% of the landfilled waste in the United States. While consumers often want to make environmentally friendly product choices, we find that their perceptions of the environmental friendliness of product packaging may systematically deviate from its objective environmental friendliness. Eight studies (N = 4,103) document the perceived environmental friendliness (PEF) bias whereby consumers judge plastic packaging with additional paper to be more environmentally friendly than identical plastic packaging without the paper. The PEF bias is driven by consumers' "paper = good, plastic = bad" beliefs and by proportional reasoning, wherein packaging with a greater paper-to-plastic proportion is judged as more environmentally friendly. We further show that the PEF bias impacts consumers' willingness to pay and product choice. Importantly, this bias can be mitigated by a "minimal packaging sticker" intervention, which increases the environmental friendliness perceptions of plastic-only packaging, rendering plastic-packaged products to be preferable to their plastic-plus-paper-packaged counterparts. This research contributes to the packaging literature in marketing and to research on sustainability while offering practical implications for managers and public policy officials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]