Improving Recycled Paper Materials through the Incorporation of Hemp, Wood Virgin Cellulose Fibers, and Nanofibers
Inese Filipova,
Laura Andze,
Marite Skute,
Juris Zoldners,
Ilze Irbe,
Inga Dabolina
Affiliations
Inese Filipova
Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, Dzerbenes Street 27, LV-1006 Riga, Latvia
Laura Andze
Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, Dzerbenes Street 27, LV-1006 Riga, Latvia
Marite Skute
Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, Dzerbenes Street 27, LV-1006 Riga, Latvia
Juris Zoldners
Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, Dzerbenes Street 27, LV-1006 Riga, Latvia
Ilze Irbe
Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, Dzerbenes Street 27, LV-1006 Riga, Latvia
Inga Dabolina
Research Laboratory of Ergonomics Electrical Technologies, Institute of Industrial Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical and Environmental Engineering, Riga Technical University, Kipsalas 6B-242, LV-1048 Riga, Latvia
A significant increase in the consumption of recycled fiber products has been observed worldwide, and the industry is forced to solve the challenges of recycled fiber quality and add strength agents and/or virgin fibers to reach sufficient properties. In order to investigate whether the mechanical and air permeability properties of waste fiber (WF) material can be significantly improved by adding wood kraft fibers (KF), hemp soda fibers (HF), and ammonium persulfate oxidated cellulose nanofibrils (CNF), different fiber blends were prepared and tested. Results revealed the excellence of hemp fibers over wood fibers regarding the improvement of WF products. The results of WF after the addition of 10% mixed fibers (KF + HF) were higher than the results of a 50% KF addition. The impact of CNF depended on fiber composition and properties. A formula for modeling the CNF impact on different fiber compositions was proposed. Obtained fiber material samples showed suitability for home composting, thus contributing to the goals of the European Green Deal regarding reducing landfill waste and the development of cleaner products.
