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

The present specification discloses papermaking additive compositions, articles of manufacture, containers or kits comprising such compositions, and methods and uses to increase separation of cellulose fibers from a pulp, to remove one or more impurities and/or one or more contaminates from a pulp and/or a paper material and to remove an ink from a pulp and/or a paper material.

A method of increasing chemical efficiency of chemical additives in a papermaking system includes the steps of providing thick stock pulp comprising soluble lignin, process water, and at least about 2% by weight of cellulosic fiber based on total weight of thick stock pulp, and adding at least one laccase enzyme and at least one organic polymer to the thick stock pulp to reduce the amount of soluble lignin therein. The organic polymer is chosen from cationic polymers, non-ionic polymers and combinations thereof.

Methods to reduce sticky and fluff induced rewinder breaks by reducing the adhesive character of adhesive materials, fluff and sticky contaminants in fibers are described. One method involves contacting the fibers with a composition containing at least one of each of a cellulase, a hemicellulase, a -glucosidase, a lipase, an esterase, a pectinase, a pectate lyase and a laccase for a sufficient time and in a sufficient amount to control the removal or controlling adhesive materials, fluff and sticky contaminants present in the fibers. Preferably, the fibers are recycled fibers originating from a variety of sources such as old corrugated containers, old newsprint, mixed office waste, and the like. Resulting paper products formed from the processed fibers are also described as well as methods to make them.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a film comprising microfibrillated cellulose wherein the method comprises the steps of; providing a suspension comprising a microfibrillated cellulose, adding an enzyme to the suspension, mixing the enzyme with the suspension to form a mixture, applying said mixture to a wire to form a fibrous web and drying said web to form said film. The present invention further relates to a film comprising microfibrillated cellulose having good barrier properties.

Methods for reducing the effects of wetlapping, drying, and hornification of pulp fibers and consequently increasing the pulp drainage and strength properties in the final product (i.e., paper) are provided. The method which has been developed creates a value-added product by the wastepaper supplier or at the pulp and/or deinking (recycled paper) milla wastepaper load/bale, wet pulp stock or wet lap, or dried pulp treated with or impregnated with enzymes that enhance the quality of the pulp or paper product when it is repulped and processed at the paper mill.

Celluloses, notably nanocelluloses, and more particularly processes for manufacturing cellulose fibers and for defibrillating cellulose-based substrates. Most particularly, processes for defibrillating cellulose-based substrates and manufacturing celluloses, in particular nanocelluloses (NC), using a new family of fungal lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs).

The present specification discloses papermaking additive compositions, articles of manufacture, containers or kits comprising such compositions, and methods and uses to increase separation of cellulose fibers from a pulp, to remove one or more impurities and/or one or more contaminates from a pulp and/or a paper material and to remove an ink from a pulp and/or a paper material.

Compositions comprising enzyme compositions are provided. Also provided are methods of treating virgin fiber and recycled wastepaper containing mineral oils using the compositions comprising enzyme compositions. The mineral oils generally originate from wastepapers with mineral oil based inks and certain other hydrocarbon-based chemistries used during the manufacturing, paperboard converting, and packaging process. The enzymes break down or modify mineral oils present in the fiber and paper, mobilize and liberate them from the fibers, and increase removal of mineral oils during paper recycling, pulping and papermaking processes. The method results in the break down or modification of mineral oil components in wastepaper, recycled pulp, and paper products by the enzyme compositions so that the mineral oils can be more efficiently detached and removed. The resulting pulp and paper has much reduced mineral oil concentration or less problematic forms of mineral oils and is beneficial for making food packaging paper products.

The present disclosure provides methods of producing plants with preferred levels of cell wall biosynthesis; and uses of such plants. The inventors have identified that the GFR9, CCoAOMT and MYB41 genes are major regulators of the cell wall biosynthesis pathway. Plants with modulated cell wall biosynthesis, based on modulation of the expression or activity of the GFR9, CCoAOMT and MYB41 genes, have divergent uses including pulp and paper production, and bioproduct production.