Renewable packaging materials - Impregnation depth measurements for pulping industry using synchrotron
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Mittuniversitetet - Institutionen för elektronikkonstruktion |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 499 000 |
| Project duration | November 2020 - May 2022 |
| Status | Completed |
| Venture | Research infrastructure - utilisation and collaboration |
| Call | Industrial pilot projects for utilisation of large-scale infrastructures for neutron and photon based techniques – 2020 |
| End-of-project report | 2020-03791_BillerudKorsnäs_Valmet2.pdf (pdf, 452 kB) |
Important results from the project
The overall issue of the project is whether the process (CTMP) in paper mills can be improved economically and environmentally by improving the homogeneity of sulphur impregnation. The outcome of this project is: 1. Synchrotron measurements indicates the sulphonation to be uneven, both between fibres and within fibres. 2. The resolution needed for homogeneity measurements must be able to resolve sulphur within individual fibres.
Expected long term effects
The environmental impact of plastic packaging is a growing concern but using wood fibre-based materials as a replacement could significantly reduce the problem. The challenge for CTMP is to achieve even distribution of sulphite ions. Sulphur homogeneity measurements can assist in optimizing process parameters to reach even impregnation for the manufacture of advanced fibre materials. The final goal is increased pulp yield with lower shives providing energy saving and minimizing sulphite doses.
Approach and implementation
Valmet pilot CTMP pulp sample diluted with different percentages of SCA kraft pulp were used to produce 20 g/m2 paper sheets with single suphonated fibres visible. Synchrotron measurements were performed at: 1. The Phoenix beamline of the Swiss Light Source (SLS) in Switzerland. 2. The 2-ID-D beamline of the Advanced Photon Source (APS) in USA. Imaging measurements with 1 µm spatial resolution from APS indicates significant variation in sulphonation both between fibres and within individual fibres.