Photo-induced yellowing of Mg(OH)2-based peroxide bleached deinked pulp

Abstract

The effects of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation on the changes in color and chemical structure of the surfaces of unbleached, PNaOH-, and PMg(OH)2- bleached deinked pulp (DIP) were studied by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. The analysis of color changes in pulp surfaces during the photo yellowing was performed by measuring the brightness loss, post color (PC) number, and CIELAB parameters (L*, a*, b*, and ΔE*). The results showed that the pulp brightness loss, PC number, and chromatic aberration had a linear relationship with b*. During the UV irradiation, the pulp brightness loss, PC number, and chromatic aberration (ΔE*) increased quickly, and then the changes slowed down. After being irradiated with UV for 360 min, the band intensity of the pulps at 1729 cm-1 increased distinctively and a new band at 1674 cm-1 appeared. This indicated that p-quinone groups were produced during the irradiation process, thus resulting in paper yellowing. The band intensity at 1674 cm-1 of PMg(OH)2-bleached pulp was lower than that of PNaOH-bleached pulp, which indicated that the brightness stability of PMg(OH)2 pulp was better than that of PNaOH pulp.