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Endoxylanase action towards the improvement of recycled fibre properties

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Abstract

The nature of recycled paper fibres varies widely. Those fibres contain high amounts of heteroxylans and lignin besides cellulose. In order to study the potential effect of xylanases on the quality of recycled fibres, chemithermomechanical pulp fibres (CTMP) are used as model substrates owing to their high content in non-cellulosic components. It has been found that the morphology of CTMP fibres changes by means of xylanase treatment. Treatments of CTMP fibres with an endoxylanase result in an improved surface area of the fibres by fibrillation, without shortening the fibres. The chemical composition of the surfaces of the fibres changes and an augment in surface hydrophilicity as a result of the removal of lignin and extractives associated to the xylan backbones is observed. Experimental results are in agreement with the findings when studying the chemical composition of the fibres’ surfaces: the xylan backbone is removed by the action of the endoxylanase, resulting in fibre fibrillation; further hydrolysis of released xylan chains proceeds in the bulk down to the monomer xylose.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are very grateful to Eero Konturi (Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands) for the ESEM and XPS measurements, and to Jose Theunissen (Sappi Fine Paper Europe, Maastricht, The Netherlands) for fruitful discussions. The work is financially supported by the EET programme (Proj. Nr. EETK99006). EET (Economy, Ecology and Technology) is a program of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCenW) and the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM). The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Foundation Technology of Structured Materials in the Netherlands and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.

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  1. M. López Lorenzo

    Present address: Teijin Aramid BV, Research Institute, Pulp and Shaping Department, P.O. Box 9600, 6800 TC, Arnhem, The Netherlands

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Engineering of Fibrous Smart Materials, Faculty of Engineering Technology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE, Enschede, The Netherlands

    M. López Lorenzo, V. A. Nierstrasz & M. M. C. G. Warmoeskerken

  2. Department of Textiles, Ghent University, Technologiepark 907, 9052, Ghent/Zwijnaarde, Belgium

    V. A. Nierstrasz

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  1. M. López Lorenzo
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Correspondence to V. A. Nierstrasz.

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López Lorenzo, M., Nierstrasz, V.A. & Warmoeskerken, M.M.C.G. Endoxylanase action towards the improvement of recycled fibre properties. Cellulose 16, 103–115 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-008-9246-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-008-9246-0

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