Mechanical wood pulp
Description
A mass of wood fibers produced by physically grinding rather than chemically treatment. To produce mechanical wood pulp, bark-free, cut wood is sent to a sandstone abrasion-type grinding machine. It is then screened and filtered to remove large pieces and foreign material. The resultant pulp contains lignin, hemicellulose, resin, and colouring materials which yellow and deteriorate the paper over time. Thus, the pulp is often bleached with peroxide or hydrosulfite to improve whiteness. Groundwood paper is produced from coniferous trees. It is inexpensive and has low strength but high opacity and bulk. It is used for newsprint and other low cost printing papers. Groundwood paper is chemically unstable.
Synonyms and Related Terms
mechanical wood-pulp; groundwood pulp
Other Properties
Tests used to determine the presence of mechanical wood pulp in a paper are: 1) iodine-chloride zinc chloride test gives a positive yellow, 2) sulfate aniline sulfate turns yellow for positive, 3) paranitroaniline turns orange and 4) phloroglucinol turns red (Roberts and Etherington 1982).
Additional Information
Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982
Authority
- R. J. Gettens, G.L. Stout, R. J. Gettens, G.L. Stout, Painting Materials, A Short Encyclopaedia, Dover Publications, New York, 1966
- Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982
- Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "Papermaking." Encyclopdia Britannica. 15 July 2004 .