Plasma Pre-treated Cellulose Pulp Sheets for Knot Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for producing crosslinked cellulose pulp fibers result in high knot content, especially at increased production rates, leading to reduced hammermilling efficiency and increased sheet breaks.
Innovation Solution
Plasma pre-treatment of the pulp sheet, specifically using corona discharge, dielectric barrier discharge, or atmospheric pressure glow discharge, to enhance the penetration of crosslinking agents and reduce hydrogen bonding, allowing for faster production with lower knot content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional wetting and hammermilling methods are used to produce crosslinked cellulose pulp fibers, then crosslinking is achieved, but knot content increases significantly reducing hammermilling efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies plasma treatment to the cellulose pulp fibers before crosslinking to pre-modify the fiber surface properties. This preliminary action reduces hydrogen bonding between fibers, ensuring that when hammermilling occurs later, fibers separate more easily and knot formation is minimized, thus maintaining high hammermilling efficiency while achieving low knot content
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the fiber surface through plasma treatment, specifically modifying surface energy and reducing inter-fiber hydrogen bonding. This parameter change allows fibers to remain separate during subsequent processing, preventing knot formation while maintaining productivity
2Productivity
If production rate is increased using conventional methods, then productivity improves, but knot content increases and sheet breaks increase
Solution Approach 1:
Plasma treatment is applied beforehand to reduce fiber-fiber adhesion through hydrogen bonding reduction. This preliminary modification ensures that even at high production rates, fibers remain separable and sheet integrity is maintained, preventing sheet breaks while achieving high productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The plasma treatment creates a preliminary anti-adhesion effect between fibers by modifying surface properties and reducing hydrogen bonding. This pre-established anti-adhesion state prevents the harmful effect of fiber clumping and sheet breaking that would normally occur at high production rates
3Manufacturing precision
If crosslinking agent penetration is enhanced to reduce knots, then manufacturing precision improves, but process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical or chemical preprocessing methods with plasma treatment, which uses ionized gas to modify fiber surfaces. This substitution achieves effective crosslinking agent penetration and reduced knot content through a relatively simple, controllable process that doesn't require complex equipment or multiple processing steps
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The plasma pre-treatment significantly reduces knot content in crosslinked cellulose pulp fibers to less than 25%, 20%, or 15% based on sonic fractionation tests, enabling higher production rates without increasing sheet breaks.
Implementation Method 1
Plasma pre-treatment of the pulp sheet, specifically using corona discharge, dielectric barrier discharge, or atmospheric pressure glow discharge, to enhance the penetration of crosslinking agents and reduce hydrogen bonding
Implementation Method 2
Plasma pre-treatment of the pulp sheet, specifically using corona discharge, dielectric barrier discharge, or atmospheric pressure glow discharge
Implementation Method 3
Plasma pre-treatment of the pulp sheet, specifically using corona discharge, dielectric barrier discharge, or atmospheric pressure glow discharge
Implementation Method 4
Plasma pre-treatment of the pulp sheet, specifically using corona discharge, dielectric barrier discharge, or atmospheric pressure glow discharge
Data Source
AI summary
The process of making crosslinked cellulose pulp fiber comprising plasma treating a sheet of cellulose pulp fiber before the sheet is impregnated with a crosslinking formulation which comprises a crosslinking agent and a catalyst, then defiberizing the treated cellulose pulp sheet to form treated defiberized cellulose pulp, then heating and curing the treated defiberized cellulose pulp to form intrafiber crosslinked cellulose pulp fibers.