Paper Material and Relative Manufacturing Procedure

Abstract

The paper material comprises a support base having at least one surface treated with at least one surface adhesive giving the paper material printability characteristics, the support base containing a mixture of fibres, at least one polymeric substance, adapted to give the support base strength, and at least one inorganic filler, adapted to give the support base machinability characteristics, the mixture of fibres comprising cellulose fibres and animal milk protein fibres.

Claims

1. A paper material comprising a support base having at least one surface treated with at least one surface adhesive, said support base containing a mixture of fibres, at least one polymeric substance, adapted to give the support base strength, and at least one inorganic filler, adapted to give the support base machinability characteristics, wherein said mixture of fibres comprises cellulose fibres and animal milk protein fibres, said fibres from animal milk proteins being present in the support base up to a 50% maximum content by weight.

2. The paper material according to claim 1, wherein said animal milk proteins comprise at least casein.

3. The paper material according to claim 1, wherein said animal milk proteins are derived from the milk of ruminant artiodactyls.

4. The paper material according to claim 1, wherein the at least one polymeric substance included in the support base comprises one or more colophony-based and/or alkyl-ketene-dimer-based and/or acetyl succinic-acid-based and/or epochlorohydrin-based resins, and/or modified starches.

5. The paper material according to claim 1, wherein the inorganic filler is a mineral filler and comprises one or more substances selected from the group constituted by carbonates, kaolins, talc and mixtures thereof.

6. The paper material according to claim 1, wherein the at least one surface adhesive is an adhesive based on starch and/or polyvinyl alcohol and/or acrylic, polyurethane and/or styrene-butadiene polymers.

7. A method for manufacturing the paper material, the method comprising the steps of: (a) preparing an aqueous pulp comprising a mixture of fibres containing at least cellulose fibres and animal milk protein fibres, at least one polymeric substance and at least one inorganic filler; (b) removing water from the pulp so as to form a support base of the paper material having animal milk protein fibres in a maximum percentage of 50% by weight; and (c) treating at least one surface of the support base with at least one surface adhesive.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said animal milk proteins comprise casein.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein said animal milk proteins are derived from the milk of ruminant artiodactyls.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the at least one polymeric substance included in the support base comprises one or more colophony-based and/or alkyl-ketene-dimer-based and/or acetyl succinic-acid-based and/or epochlorohydrin-based resins, and/or modified starches.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the inorganic filler is a mineral filler and comprises one or more substances selected from the group constituted by carbonates, kaolins, talc and mixtures thereof.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein the at least one surface adhesive is an adhesive based on starch and/or polyvinyl alcohol and/or acrylic, polyurethane and/or styrene-butadiene polymers.

13. The method according to claim 7, wherein following treatment of the surface with the adhesive, further comprises a step of smoothing the support base, wherein the support base is smoothed up to Bendtsen ISO 2494 roughness values of less than approximately 50 ml/min.

14. The method according to claim 7, further comprising a step of mechanically treating the surface, particularly an embossing step.

Description

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the animal milk proteins comprise at least casein.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the animal milk proteins are derived from the milk of ruminant artiodactyls.

[0014] In particular, the animal milk protein fibres are derived from sheep or bovids, among which cows, goats and yaks.

[0015] The paper material of the invention proves to be perfectly printable with high printing quality and makes it possible to achieve particular graphic effects that are difficult to achieve with conventional natural papers.

[0016] In further detail, the paper material of the invention comprises a support base made up of a mixture of cellulosic fibres and animal milk protein fibres of varying percentages and it contains at least one polymeric substance, adapted to give the mixture of fibres strength (when dry or wet), and at least one inorganic filler, adapted to give the material good machinability characteristics.

[0017] Preferably, the polymeric substance included in the support base comprises one or more colophony-based and/or alkyl-ketene-dimer-based and/or acetylsuccinic-acid-based and/or epochlorohydrin-based resins, and/or modified starches.

[0018] The inorganic filler is instead a mineral filler comprising one or more substances selected from the group constituted by carbonates, kaolins, talc and mixtures thereof.

[0019] The surface adhesive is for example an adhesive based on starch and/or polyvinyl alcohol and/or acrylic, polyurethane and/or styrene-butadiene polymers.

[0020] The grammage of the paper material ranges between approximately 70 and approximately 400 g/m.sup.2.

[0021] In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, the paper material described hereinabove is realized using the following method.

[0022] It is realized using a substantially known paper-forming technique, for example on a continuous machine for manufacturing paper.

[0023] In essence, an aqueous pulp comprising a mixture of cellulose fibres and animal milk protein fibres, the polymeric substance (colophony-based and/or alkyl-ketene-dimer-based and/or acetylsuccinic-acid-based and/or epochlorohydrin-based resins, and/or modified starches) and the inorganic filler (carbonates, kaolins, talc, et cetera) is prepared.

[0024] Water is then removed from the pulp so as to form the support base of the paper material having animal milk protein fibres in a percentage varying up to 50% by weight.

[0025] This is followed by a step of surface treatment of one or both faces of the support base with an aqueous solution of surface adhesive, for example made up of a 10% by weight aqueous solution of starch, and/or 5% by weight of acrylic adhesive, or similar adhesives.

[0026] Following the surface treatment with the adhesive, the method then comprises a step of smoothing the paper and in which the paper base is smoothed up to Bendtsen ISO 2494 roughness values of less than approximately 50 ml/min. Lastly, the method can comprise a step of mechanically treating the surface, particularly an embossing step.

Example of a Pulp Containing Animal Milk Protein Fibres for Forming the Support Base

[0027] 20% by dry weight of animal milk protein fibres

[0028] 60% by dry weight of cellulosic fibres of various origin and types

[0029] 10% by dry weight of inorganic filler such as carbonate or kaolin

[0030] 1% by dry weight of a polymeric substance based on potato starch and/or cornflour

[0031] 1% by dry weight of a polymeric substance based on colophony, AKD or ASA

[0032] 1% by dry weight of a polymeric substance based on acrylic ester, styrene, acrylonitrile

[0033] 1% by dry weight of a polyurethane-based polymeric substance

[0034] 6% by weight, water

[0035] It remains understood that modifications and variants that are not beyond the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims, may be made concerning the paper material and the relative manufacturing method disclosed and illustrated herein.