Bulletin of
Vitebsk State
Technological
University

Abstract

The objective of this work is to investigate the feasibility of producing environmentally friendly packaging paper from cotton waste generated by textile enterprises, as well as waste paper. Packaging paper has been produced using the cotton fluff, which is generated in significant quantities at ginning, spinning, weaving and knitting mills and which has not found practical application to date, as well as MS-6 waste paper. Electrokinetic potential (-180–235 mV), specific electrical conductivity (0.03–0.21 μS/cm) of the fibrous suspension are factors of its relative stability. Samples of packaging paper were obtained from 100 % cotton fluff, 100 % waste paper and from 9 different mixtures of them. Paper samples obtained from a fibrous mixture of 30–70 % cotton fluff and 70–30 % waste paper have higher physical and mechanical properties than samples obtained from pure fluff or waste paper. The introduction of 2 % acrylic emulsion into the composition of the fibrous mass provides an increase in tensile strength of paper samples by 25–45 %, rupture length – by 30–35 %, penetrating force – by 10–55 %, the number of double bends – by 60–250 % and internal strength – by 10–35 %. The most significant increase was observed in samples containing cotton fluff and waste paper at a 50:50 weight ratio. Producing packaging paper from fiber waste could prove to be a cost-effective solution to one of the environmental problems facing textile companies.

Production of packaging paper based on the cotton fluff and waste paper