An oleophilic and hydrophobic nanocellulose material is disclosed herein, for nanocellulose sponges and other applications. The oleophilic and hydrophobic nanocellulose material comprises lignin-coated cellulose nanofibrils and/or lignin-coated cellulose nanocrystals. In various embodiments, the nanocellulose material is in the form of a 2D coating or layer, or a 3D object (e.g., foam or aerogel). The nanocellulose material may be disposed onto a scaffold. A process is provided for producing an oleophilic and hydrophobic nanocellulose object, comprising fractionating a biomass feedstock with an acid, a solvent for lignin, and water, to generate cellulose-rich solids and a lignin-containing liquor; mechanically treating the cellulose-rich solids to form cellulose fibrils and/or cellulose crystals; generating a nanocellulose object from the intermediate nanocellulose material; exposing the nanocellulose object to the lignin-containing liquor to allow lignin to deposit onto a surface of the nanocellulose object; and recovering the oleophilic and hydrophobic nanocellulose object.

A dispersion of cellulose fibers, a method of preparing the same and uses thereof. The dispersion is produced by providing a cellulose feedstock comprising cellulose fibers; by providing a mixture of an ionic liquid and a protic antisolvent for cellulose as a dispersion medium, the ionic liquid being selected from the group of protic salts of superbases capable of dissolving cellulose; and by mixing said cellulose feedstock into said dispersion medium so as to disperse the cellulose fibers therein to form a dispersion which is stable for at least 24 hours at room temperature. The dispersion can be used as an additive of cellulose pulps for making of fibrous products.

A dispersion of cellulose fibers, a method of preparing the same and uses thereof. The dispersion is produced by providing a cellulose feedstock comprising cellulose fibers; by providing a mixture of an ionic liquid and a protic antisolvent for cellulose as a dispersion medium, the ionic liquid being selected from the group of protic salts of superbases capable of dissolving cellulose; and by mixing said cellulose feedstock into said dispersion medium so as to disperse the cellulose fibers therein to form a dispersion which is stable for at least 24 hours at room temperature. The dispersion can be used as an additive of cellulose pulps for making of fibrous products.

In a particular implementation, a method of pulp product manufacture includes spraying a surface enhanced pulp fiber (SEPF) coating on at least a portion of a molded pulp product, the SEPF coating comprising SEPF having a length weighted average fiber length that is at least 0.20 millimeters (mm) and an average hydrodynamic specific surface area that is at least 10 square meters per gram (m.sup.2/g).

In a particular implementation, a method of pulp product manufacture includes spraying a surface enhanced pulp fiber (SEPF) coating on at least a portion of a molded pulp product, the SEPF coating comprising SEPF having a length weighted average fiber length that is at least 0.20 millimeters (mm) and an average hydrodynamic specific surface area that is at least 10 square meters per gram (m.sup.2/g).

A process including providing a paper substrate; disposing a water soluble precoat composition onto all or a portion of the paper substrate to provide a treated paper; applying an image onto the treated paper using a toner or an aqueous ink to provide an imaged paper; wherein the water soluble precoat composition forms a temporary barrier between the toner or aqueous ink and the paper substrate; and wherein, during a paper pulping process, the water soluble precoat composition dissolves thereby releasing the toner or aqueous ink from the paper substrate.

The present invention relates to a gas barrier film for a paper or paperboard based packaging material, said gas barrier film comprising: a microfibrillated cellulose layer (MFC layer), at least one surface of which has been metallized; and a polymer dispersion coating layer disposed on at least one surface of the MFC layer. The present invention further relates to a paper or paperboard based packaging material, containers and carton blanks comprising the gas barrier film, and to a method for manufacturing the gas barrier film.

The present invention is directed to a film or coating comprising a fiber material, wherein at least 60% by weight of said fiber material is microfibrillated cellulose, said film or coating also comprising at least 1% by weight of extractives from wood bark or cork wood. The invention is also directed to products, such as packaging materials, using or incorporating said film or coating. Such packaging materials are for example laminates or multi-layer structures. The films or coatings according to the present invention having advantageous barrier properties and are therefore particularly suitable for sensitive objects that need to be packaged in a controlled or modified atmosphere. The present invention is also directed to a composition comprising a fiber material, wherein at least 60% by weight of said fiber material is microfibrillated cellulose, said composition also comprising at least 1% by weight of extractives from wood bark or cork wood. The composition is useful for example in the preparation of the film or coating.

Methods of making a paper product can comprise forming a substrate from a first furnish that comprises a plurality of pulp fibers, at least partially dewatering the substrate, treating a second furnish that comprises a plurality of surface enhanced pulp fibers (SEPF) at least by adding one or more enzymes to the second furnish, and sizing the dewatered substrate at least by depositing the treated second furnish onto at least one of opposing first and second surfaces of the dewatered substrate. The SEPF can have a length weighted average fiber length that is greater than or equal to 0.20 millimeters (mm) and an average hydrodynamic specific surface area that is greater than or equal to 10 square meters per gram (m.sup.2/g).

The invention refers to a method to produce a packaging material comprising the steps of; treating at least one surface of a paperboard substrate with a binder and with a metal salt, printing at least a part of said treated surface with ink, and applying at least one polymer layer on said printed surface. The packaging material produced in accordance with the invention shows good printability and simultaneously good adhesion of the applied polymer layer.