A method of manufacturing a partially-dried sheet comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of, microfibrillated cellulose suitable for use as a binder, or a dried sheet comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of, a blend of microfibrillated cellulose and a pulp suitable for use as a pulp source, wherein said sheet may be redispersed with a high shear disperser, mixer or refiner operated at energy inputs of about 10 kWh/t to about 2,000 kWh/t, wherein the sheet upon re-dispersion in a aqueous medium maintains, or is not substantially degraded in, tensile index, compared to the dried sheet prior to drying and re-dispersion.

A blade segment (4, 8, 8a, 8b) for a refiner comprises an inner end edge (20) and an outer end edge (21) and a first side edge (22) and a second side edge (23) opposite to the first side edge (22), the first side edge (22) and the second side edge (23) extending between the inner end edge (20) and the outer end edge (21), and a refining surface (29) comprising blade bars (27) and blade grooves (28) therebetween on a front surface (25) of the blade segment (4, 8, 8a, 8b). At least one side edge (22, 23) of the blade segment (4, 8, 8a, 8b) comprises at least one opening (14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 14e, 14f, 14g) that extends from the side edge (22, 23) toward the opposite side edge (22, 23).

A blade segment (4, 8, 8a, 8b) for a refiner comprises an inner end edge (20) and an outer end edge (21) and a first side edge (22) and a second side edge (23) opposite to the first side edge (22), the first side edge (22) and the second side edge (23) extending between the inner end edge (20) and the outer end edge (21), and a refining surface (29) comprising blade bars (27) and blade grooves (28) therebetween on a front surface (25) of the blade segment (4, 8, 8a, 8b). At least one side edge (22, 23) of the blade segment (4, 8, 8a, 8b) comprises at least one opening (14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 14e, 14f, 14g) that extends from the side edge (22, 23) toward the opposite side edge (22, 23).

Disclosed herein is a mixture comprising at least one carbohydrate-active enzyme, at least one liquid natural polymer, and optionally at least one strength agent. The mixture is useful in methods of making paper or board and methods of improving refinability and/or strengthening potential of paper pulp for use in a paper or board mill. In such methods the mixture is added to a cellulosic material containing pulp slurry in the process of making paper or board products.

Disclosed herein is a mixture comprising at least one carbohydrate-active enzyme, at least one liquid natural polymer, and optionally at least one strength agent. The mixture is useful in methods of making paper or board and methods of improving refinability and/or strengthening potential of paper pulp for use in a paper or board mill. In such methods the mixture is added to a cellulosic material containing pulp slurry in the process of making paper or board products.

A fibrous cellulose-containing material which is excellent in dispersibility of cellulose fiber, is easy to dewater, and is not required to contain an organic solvent, and a method for producing the same; and dried fibrous cellulose and a fibrous cellulose composite resin each obtained using the fibrous cellulose-containing material and a method for producing the same. A dispersion liquid of cellulose microfiber is prepared by fibrillating raw material pulp to the extent that the average fiber width is 0.1 μm or more, a fibrous cellulose-containing material is prepared by mixing the dispersion liquid with resin powder having an average particle size of 1 to 1,500 μm, dried fibrous cellulose is prepared by drying the fibrous cellulose-containing material, and the dried fibrous cellulose is kneaded to obtain a fibrous cellulose composite resin.

Various embodiments of the present invention relate to surface enhanced pulp fibers, various products incorporating surface enhanced pulp fibers, and methods and systems for producing surface enhanced pulp fibers. Various embodiments of surface enhanced pulp fibers have significantly increased surface areas compared to conventional refined fibers while advantageously minimizing reductions in length following refinement. The surface enhanced pulp fibers can be incorporated into a number of products that might benefit from such properties including, for example, paper products, paperboard products, fiber cement boards, fiber reinforced plastics, fluff pulps, hydrogels, cellulose acetate products, and carboxymethyl cellulose products. In some embodiments, a plurality of surface enhanced pulp fibers have a length weighted average fiber length of at least about 0.3 millimeters and an average hydrodynamic specific surface area of at least about 10 square meters per gram, wherein the number of surface enhanced pulp fibers is at least 12,000 fibers/milligram on an oven-dry basis.

Various embodiments of the present invention relate to surface enhanced pulp fibers, various products incorporating surface enhanced pulp fibers, and methods and systems for producing surface enhanced pulp fibers. Various embodiments of surface enhanced pulp fibers have significantly increased surface areas compared to conventional refined fibers while advantageously minimizing reductions in length following refinement. The surface enhanced pulp fibers can be incorporated into a number of products that might benefit from such properties including, for example, paper products, paperboard products, fiber cement boards, fiber reinforced plastics, fluff pulps, hydrogels, cellulose acetate products, and carboxymethyl cellulose products. In some embodiments, a plurality of surface enhanced pulp fibers have a length weighted average fiber length of at least about 0.3 millimeters and an average hydrodynamic specific surface area of at least about 10 square meters per gram, wherein the number of surface enhanced pulp fibers is at least 12,000 fibers/milligram on an oven-dry basis.

A method and an arrangement (1) for producing nanofibrillar cellulose, wherein lignocellulose-containing fibre material is refined to separate nanofibrils. The method comprises refining the lignocellulose-containing fibre material in at least one refining zone (20) in one or more refiners (5) to separate nanofibrils, supplying the fibre material to be refined into the at least one refining zone of at least one refiner through at least one opening (12, 19) in the refining surface (11, 18) of at least one refining element (7, 13) and/or discharging the fibre material already refined in the at least one refining zone of at least one refiner out of the at least one refining zone through at least one opening (12, 19) in the refining surface (11, 18) of at least one refining element (7, 13), and operating the said at least one refiner to produce a specific edge load (SEL) of less than three J/m in the refining.

The present invention is directed to a method of transforming a pulp fibrous into a pre-dispersed semi-dry or dry fibrous material and to the material produced. The method opens, de-entangles and fibrillates the fibrous material of the input pulp. The method mixes the input fibrous with chemicals while evaporating moisture in an updated mechanical disc refiner process. The refiner operates to set three process variables: 1) applied refining specific energy; 2) refiner gap opening and 3) refiner output consistency. Depending on the feed pulp type and consistency, the refiner's output is a pre-dispersed semi-dry fibrous material of 30 to 99% solids with 70 to 100% of separated fibers that depending on chemical treatment are loosely entangled fibrous that disperse in water using common techniques. The pre-dispersed semi-dry output may be further processed inline or by batch process air agitation at velocities sufficient to further separate fibers and loosen fibrous entanglements.