Research and Development of Pulp Fibers
- The emergence of the Fourdrinier paper machine in 1799 spurred research and development into alternatives to linter fibers, the main raw material used until then in the manual production of paper and insufficient to feed these revolutionary giants.
- First cellulose fibers made from wood were therefore developed during the 19th century and ever since it became the standard fiber for mass production of paper, cardboard and corrugated.
- During the first half of the 20th century the pulp fibers were mainly sourced from softwoods (conifers) like pine and spruce.
- During the second half of the 20th century pulp fibers sourced from hardwoods (deciduous) like eucalyptus and birch appeared and worldwide transformed the pulp and paper industries.
- During the twilight of the 20th century, recycled fibers once again globally changed the pulp and paper industries.
- The constant need for both economic and environmental improvements drive research and development of new tree clones for the planted forests, as well of fiber recycling processes.
Products for this application : MORFI NEO and HR
- MorFi proved to be the perfect tool for quick, accurate and objective assessment of pulp fiber quality, being an unequable testing solution for several key areas :
- research into new tree clones, aiming for higher production volumes and lower costs, while maintaining commitment to pulp fiber quality and to environmental sustainability amidst ever-increasing climate challenge.
- research on pulp fiber processing in pulp furnish preparation for the paper machine, such as refining, aiming for higher fiber quality output with lower energy and for higher lifetime of key production materials, such as refining discs
- research into development of recycling techniques to reduce the inevitable regular decrease in recycled fiber quality throughout its lifetime due to its accumulative degradation every time it gets recycled again, impacting negatively fiber integrity & strength, compromising resistance of papers
- research into of alternative fibers and fiber sources, such as agricultural waste
- savings achieved into cost of materials, energy consumption, production losses due to quality issues, laboratory staff and downtime with the use of fiber morphology results ensure quick return on investment in this newer technology emerged during the twilight of the 20th century and which became mainstream in the 21st century
- the entire fibrous population is analysed in detail from a pulp furnish sample and accurately characterized by MorFi within minutes, bringing a significative and useful package of morphological results – fiber length, width, coarseness, fibrillation, curl, kink and wall thickness as well further fibrous elements like fines, shives and vessels
- MorFi is available as laboratory and on-line versions, providing identical test results for R&D and Q.C.
In Summary
Fiber Morphology, fundamental for R&D of pulp and pulp processing, became mainstream in the pulp and paper industries in the 21st century, thanks to unmatched accuracy, repeatability, and ease of use modern fiber analyzers per images, which provide quickly and accurately a common analytical language between R&D, Quality Control, and Process teams — enabling dynamic integration in the development, understanding and optimization of fibrous materials.