Effect of electron beam irradiation on the colored broke in specialty paper mill

Abstract

The broke generated in paper mills is a very important resource for the manufacture of paper products. The use of colored broke is limited due to its color; so, technology for the control of colored broke should be developed. In this study, we investigated the effect of electron beam irradiation and reuse on the color change of colored broke, which was obtained from a specialty paper mill. The colored broke was irradiated by an electron beam and reintegrated to make handsheets in th laboratory. The hunter color and ISO brightness of handsheets were measured using an Elrepho spectrophotometer, and the color difference between the untreated colored broke and the broke treated with an electron beam and re-disintegration was calculated. The color of the colored broke irradiated by the electron beam did not show any significant changes, but electron beam irradiation increased the color change of the red broke and the navy broke when they were re-disintegrated after electron beam irradiation.