A process for modifying the paper burst strength enhancing attributes of microfibrillated cellulose, an aqueous suspension comprising said microfibrillated cellulose, and papermaking compositions and paper products comprising said microfibrillated cellulose.

Bleached polyacrylic acid crosslinked cellulose fibers with reduced furfural content are disclosed. The reduced furfural content is accompanied by a strong reduction of malodor associated with crosslinked fibers. Methods of furfural reduction include treatment with hydrogen peroxide in the absence of alkaline or other bleaching agents subsequent to curing polyacrylic acid crosslinked cellulose fibers. Some embodiments of treated polyacrylic acid crosslinked cellulose fibers have a furfural content lower than 1.3 ppm. In some embodiments, the reduction of furfural content of the treated crosslinked fibers compared to untreated crosslinked fibers is at least 55%. in some embodiments, furfural content decreases with aging of the treated crosslinked fibers.

Disclosed herein are treated pulp sheets comprising cellulose pulp fibers treated with a densifying agent and having a relatively low moisture content. In certain embodiments, the treated pulp sheets are used to produce fiberized pulp having an unexpectedly low knot content, while maintaining density and softness properties usually associated with similarly treated pulp that is fiberized at higher moisture content. Methods of making fiberized pulp from the treated pulp sheets, as well as products comprising the treated pulp sheets or fiberized pulp from the treated pulp sheets, are also provided.

The present invention relates to methods for processing plant and/or micro-organism derived cellulose materials into rheology/structuring agents. More in particular, the present invention relates to methods wherein plant and/or micro-organism derived cellulose material is co-processed with carboxycellulose. The methods of the present invention provide a variety of benefits, in terms of process efficiency and scalability as well as in relation to the properties of the materials that are obtainable using these methods. For instance, it has been found that (highly) concentrated products produced using the method of the invention are easily (re)dispersible in water and aqueous systems to regain much of the cellulose component's original rheological performance.

The present invention provides a process for producing a nanocellulose material, comprising: fractionating a lignocellulosic biomass feedstock in the presence of a solvent for lignin and water, but no acid catalyst, to generate cellulose-rich solids; and then mechanically treating the cellulose-rich solids to form a nanocellulose material comprising cellulose nanofibrils and/or cellulose nanocrystals. Many organic or inorganic solvents are possible. In some embodiments, the solvent for lignin is an oxygenated organic compound, such as a C.sub.1-C.sub.18 alcohol, e.g. ethanol, ethylene glycol, propanol, propanediol, glycerol, butanol, or butanediol. The solvent for lignin may be an aromatic alcohol, such as phenol, cresol, or benzyl alcohol. The solvent for lignin may be a ketone, an aldehyde, or an ether, such as methyl ethyl ketone or diethyl ether. The solvent for lignin may be a non-oxygenated alkane, olefin, or aromatic hydrocarbon. In some embodiments, the solvent for lignin is an ionic liquid.

The present invention relates to a modified cellulosic fiber that comprises anionic moieties in an amount of more than 0.25 mol/kg of dry fiber and has applied thereon a polymeric modifying agent in an amount of from 0.5 wt. % to 5.0 wt. %, based on dry fiber, the polymeric modifying agent comprising cationic moieties with a charge of at least 1.5 meq per gram of polymer and the molar ratio of anionic moieties to cationic moieties contained in the fiber is in the range of from 1:1 to 25:1. The fiber according to the present invention is characterized in that the anionic moieties are incorporated in the fiber and are from carboxymethylcellulose, and that the polymeric modifying agent comprising cationic moieties is selected from the group consisting of polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (poly-DADMAC), poly(acrylamide-co-diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PAM-DADMAC) and mixtures thereof. The invention furthermore relates to a nonwoven product or fabric comprising the modified cellulosic fiber.

Treatment methods for reduction of (1.fwdarw.3)-β-D-glucan leachables from cellulose-containing filter materials are described.

The present invention relates to a process for the spraying of microfibrillated cellulose (MFC), which has a comparatively high solids content, onto a surface, thus forming a stable and homogeneous film coating of MFC on said surface. Therein, the MFC of the comparatively high solids content is subjected to a pressure drop in a nozzle, which pressure drop exerts shear pressure onto the MFC, thus lowering the viscosity during the spraying and coating process.

Provided are compositions and processes concerning efficient downstream processing of products derived from organic acids pretreatment of plant materials.

A polymer-nanocellulose-lignin composite as disclosed comprises a polymer, nanocellulose, and lignin, wherein lignin forms a hydrophobic interface between the polymer and the nanocellulose. In some variations, a process is disclosed for producing a polymer-nanocellulose-lignin composite material, comprising: fractionating lignocellulosic biomass in the presence of an acid, a solvent for lignin, and water, to generate cellulose-rich solids and a liquid containing hemicellulose and lignin, wherein lignin deposits onto fiber surfaces or into fiber pores; mechanically treating the cellulose-rich solids to form a hydrophobic nanocellulose material comprising cellulose fibrils and/or cellulose crystals; hydrolyzing the hemicellulose to generate fermentable hemicellulosic sugars; fermenting the fermentable hemicellulosic sugars to generate a monomer or monomer precursor; polymerizing the monomer to produce a polymer; and combining the polymer with the lignin-coated nanocellulose to generate a polymer-nanocellulose-lignin composite material for use in a wide variety of products.