The disclosure describes a process for making a décor paper from a dispersion with improved optical performance by (a) combining a treated TiO.sub.2 particle having a surface area of at least about 30 m.sup.2/g with water and a cationic polymer to form a TiO.sub.2 particle slurry; wherein the treated TiO.sub.2 particle comprises an oxide selected from the group consisting of silicon, aluminum, phosphorus and mixtures thereof; and the oxide is present in the amount of at least 15% based on the total weight of the treated titanium dioxide particle; (b) combining the TiO.sub.2 particle slurry of step (a) with paper pulp and a cationic polymer. The dispersion provides equal optical performance using less TiO.sub.2 when compared to the same dispersion not comprising the TiO.sub.2 particle slurry of (a). These décor papers are useful in preparing paper laminates.

The invention relates to a papermaking agent system in liquid form, which comprises (i) cationic starch solution, prepared by cooking a starch mixture comprising a starch component and a water component, and (ii) polymer composition, which has anionic and cationic groups and a cationic net charge of >0.1 meq/g. The polymer composition comprises or originates from at least one of constituents a), b) or c). Constituent a) contains an amphoteric polymer, which is a copolymer comprising structural units derived from acrylamide and/or methacrylamide monomers, and anionic and cationic groups attached to the copolymer. Constituent b) contains a first polymer, which is a copolymer comprising structural units derived from acrylamide and/or methacrylamide monomers, and anionic or cationic groups attached to the copolymer, as well as a second polymer, which comprises groups with opposite charge than the first polymer. Constituent c) contains a third polymer, which comprises a copolymer comprising structural units derived from acrylamide and/or methacrylamide monomers, as well as hydrolytically unstable cationic groups attached to the copolymer. Constituent a), b) or c) is added to one of the components of the starch mixture or to the starch mixture before the cooking of the starch mixture, and/or constituent a) or b) is added to the cationic starch solution after cooking of the starch mixture. The invention relates also to the use of the papermaking agent system and to a method for its preparation.

The invention relates to xylanases and to polynucleotides encoding the xylanases. In addition, methods of designing new xylanases and methods of use thereof are also provided. The xylanases have increased activity and stability at increased pH and temperature.

The present invention relates to a process for producing paper, card and board. The present invention is based on the discovery that controlling solids content during the process in a specified manner provide enhanced initial web strength of the paper prior to drying and allows for higher machine speeds in the paper production process as compared to known processes.

A method for the production of a fibrous product from a fibrous web, wherein the method comprises the steps of: providing a fibrous suspension comprising native microfibrillated cellulose, wherein the content of the microfibrillated cellulose of said suspension is in the range of 40 to 99.9 weight-% based on total dry solid content, said fibrous suspension further comprising organic acid, a metal salt or a mixture thereof, wherein the amount of organic acid, metal salt or mixture thereof is at least 2 weight-% based on total dry solid content of the suspension, —said fibrous suspension also comprising an uncharged, amphoteric or weakly cationic polymer having a molecular weight of at least 50000 g/mol, —said fibrous suspension also comprising an anionic polymer having a molecular weight of at least 10000 g/mol to said suspension, —providing said suspension to a substrate to form a fibrous web, wherein the amount of uncharged, amphoteric or weakly cationic polymer in said suspension is in the range of 0.1 to 20 kg/metric ton based on total dry solid content and wherein the amount of anionic polymer in said suspension is in the range of 0.01 to 10 kg/metric ton based on total dry solid content; and —dewatering said fibrous web to form a fibrous product.

Recycled or brown paper board is provided having a surface with a coating having one or more layers, at least one coating layer comprising one or more copolymers selected from the group consisting of styrene-acrylic-based copolymers, styrene-butadiene-based copolymers, and mixtures thereof, wherein the average Tg of the copolymers present in the coating layer is 25° C. or greater and the average polymer particle size of the copolymers present in the coating layer is 130 nm or greater. A method of producing a coated recycled paper board or brown paper board and a coating composition are also provided.

Disclosed herein are cellulase variants, or active fragments thereof, and polynucleotides encoding same, wherein the cellulase variants, or active fragments thereof, have endoglucanase activity. Also disclosed herein are compositions comprising said cellulase variants, or active fragments thereof, vectors and/or host cells comprising the polynucleotides encoding said cellulase variants, or active fragments thereof; and methods for making and/or using said cellulase variants, or active fragments thereof and/or compositions containing same; wherein said cellulase variants, or active fragments thereof, have endoglucanase activity.

The invention discloses a method of producing a filler composition to be used in paper or board production, said method comprising providing a suspension comprising calcium hydroxide and performing carbonation of the calcium hydroxide to form precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC). The invention is characterized in that starch and/or carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) is added to the suspension during said carbonation of calcium hydroxide. The method of the invention enables an increased filler content in paper or paperboard without substantially increasing the dusting tendency or decreasing the strength of the paper or board.

Process for the surface treatment of a titanium dioxide pigment, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: an aqueous suspension of titanium dioxide pigments is formed, in a first step, a layer of alumina phosphate is precipitated on the surface of the pigment, in a second step, a layer of alumina is precipitated over the first layer of alumina phosphate, and in a third step, a layer of magnesium oxide and alumina is precipitated on the layer of alumina. Also included are titanium dioxide pigments made by the disclosed process and method using said pigments in paper manufacturing.

Methods for making paper with improved strength and methods for improving paper strength, using a metal chelate and an organic polymer, and improved strength paper made through these processes.