Role of nanocellulose in colored paper preparation

Colored paper is an important industrial paper grade that has applications in various industrial sectors. The increase in coloring efficiency is a key in decreasing the use of dyes, thus can be considered as a "green" process concept; the coloring efficiency depends on the dye retention and dispersion. This work explores the use of nanocellulose, specifically, TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (TOCNF), on the coloring efficiency of the preparation of colored paper. Two dyes (i.e. direct blue GL and reactive red 195 (RR195)) were used. Thanks to the large specific surface area and abundant active sites of TOCNF, its use largely improves the direct blue GL retention during the process. The coloring difference (∆E*_ab) reached 5.334 with the addition of 13.6 wt% TOCNF and 1.8 wt% direct blue GL in the pulp furnish. The functional group in the dye is a vital factor in determining the dye retention when one chooses TOCNF to enhance the coloring efficiency in the production of colored paper. Furthermore, TOCNF significantly improved the strength properties of both direct blue GL and RR 195 dyed papers. This work demonstrates the potential of nanocellulose in the production of colored paper in improving the coloring efficiency, thus decreasing the environmental impact of the manufacturing process.