Preparation of oat spelt xylan and its application as additive for enhancement of paper properties

Abstract

In this work, xylan extracted from oat spelt with a yield of approx. 17% has been characterized for determining its properties. It was then applied as additive in paper-making by adding into elementary chlorine free bleached Kraft softwood pulp slurry. The study aims to investigate the influence of xylan on paper properties, based on its relative retention capacity on cellulose fibres during the paper-making process. Different xylan dosages were added right before sheet formation. The adsorbed amount of xylan and its relative retention capacity on the paper after the paper-making process have been quantified using mild acid hydrolysis and high-performance liquid chromatography. The adsorbed amount of xylan on paper increases with increasing xylan dosages, while the retention capacity reaches its highest value of 75%, when 5% of xylan is added. Over this point, the retention is believed to be limited due to the saturation phenomenon, suggesting that higher amounts of xylan addition may not bring any further advantages to the mechanical properties of paper.