High temperatures and pressures during cooking hinder the nanofibrillation of purified pulp.

Kraft pulp is an abundant raw material for producing cellulose nanofibers. However, our previous study demonstrated that kraft cooking hinders the nanofibrillation of never-dried pulp. Therefore, this study aims to elucidate the specific factors of kraft cooking hindering nanofibrillation, particularly the effects of high temperature and pressure.

Hindrance to nanofibrillation of undried pulp produced by the kraft cooking process.

Kraft pulp is the most common and economically advantageous raw material for making cellulose nanofibers (CNFs). However, when kraft pulp is subjected to mechanical fibrillation, unfibrillated pulp always remains, even though the pulp is undried. In this study, the effect of the kraft pulping process on the fibrillation of undried pulp was studied.