[0026] Discoloration of paper is greatly reduced by providing a method for improving discoloration comprising preparing a paper containing a pulp irradiated with UV visible light in the presence of at least one compound selected from the group consisting of reducing agents, oxidizing agents and
hydrogen-donating organic compounds or irradiating prepared paper with UV / visible light in the same manner, and especially such benefits as environmental friendliness are achieved because light and bulky papers can be prepared from smaller amounts of wood resources by treating MP having a high yield or MP-containing papers.PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0027] Pulps used in printing papers of the present invention include raw pulps such as bleached or unbleached mechanical pulps, semichemical pulps, chemical pulps and deinked pulps derived from wood. Either one member or a mixture of two or more members of these pulps may be used. The term “bleached” here means that the pulp has gone through e.g., a normal multi-stage bleaching process or a short sequence bleaching process in contrast to unbleached pulps. The present invention is preferably directed to bleached mechanical pulps because the invention works very effectively in the case of pulps showing significant discoloration,
[0028] Compounds that can be used to improve discoloration of pulp used in the present invention include known reducing agents, oxidizing agents and
hydrogen-donating organic compounds commonly used as bleaching / decoloring agents. The pulps are treated in the presence of at least one compound among these groups.
[0029] Such reducing agents include, for example,
sulfite or
bisulfite ion, hydrosulfites,
borohydride compounds, etc. The
borohydride compounds are normally represented by general formula (1) or (2) below. M(BR4-nHn)m (1) wherein n=an integer from 1 to 4, m=an integer from 1 to 3, M=a
metal ion, organic
ion or inorganic ion, R=a
hydrocarbon group or substituted
hydrocarbon group or BR3-nHn (2) wherein n=an integer from 1 to 3, R=a
hydrocarbon group or substituted hydrocarbon group. In general formula (1) above, the
metal ion includes monovalent
metal ions such as alkali metals,
divalent metal ions such as alkali earth metals, and trivalent metal ions; and the organic ion may be any stable ion, especially a
quaternary ammonium ion. Substituents for R include
aliphatic hydrocarbon groups preferably containing 1 to 20, more preferably 1 to 10 carbon atoms,
aromatic hydrocarbon groups preferably 6 to 20, more preferably 6 to 14 carbon atoms,
alkyl-substituted hydrocarbon groups preferably containing 7 to 40, more preferably 7 to 24 carbon atoms, etc. When two or more substituents for R exist, R may be the same or different. Especially preferred
borohydride compounds for use in the present invention are
sodium borohydride or tetrabutylammonium borohydride.
Sodium borohydride or tetrabutylammonium borohydride or mixtures thereof can also be used.
[0030] Preferred oxidizing agents are peroxides. As for peroxides, both organic peroxides and inorganic peroxides can be used. Organic peroxides that can be used are compounds represented by general formula (3) below: ROOR′ (3) wherein R and R′ may be the same or different and represent a hydrocarbon group, alkylcarbonyl group, arylcarbonyl group, alkoxycarbonyl group, aryloxycarbonyl group,
formyl group or hydrogen.
[0031] The hydrocarbon group includes
aromatic hydrocarbon groups such as phenyl, naphthyl,
biphenyl and anthryl groups;
aliphatic hydrocarbon groups; and substituted forms thereof; and the alkylcarbonyl group includes acetyl, ethylcarbonyl and propionylcarbonyl groups and substituted forms thereof. The arylcarbonyl group includes benzoyl, naphthylcarbonyl and biphenylcarbonyl groups and substituted forms thereof. The alkoxycarbonyl group includes methoxycarbonyl and ethoxycarbonyl groups and substituted forms thereof. The aryloxycarbonyl group includes phenoxycarbonyl, naphthoxycarbonyl and biphenyloxycarbonyl groups and substituted forms thereof. Specific examples of these organic peroxides include, for example, peracids such as
perbenzoic acid and derivatives thereof,
peracetic acid and
performic acid; esters of these peracids; and percarbonic acid and esters thereof. Inorganic peroxides include
hydrogen peroxide,
sodium percarbonate,
sodium peroxide, etc. Other oxidizing agents. include those containing no halogens such as
ozone and
oxygen.