Development of quantitative analysis of the fluorescent whitening agents used for surface treatments

Abstract

Fluorescent whitening agents (FWAs) are widely applied in the papermaking process to improve the CIE whiteness and the ISO brightness of papers. Large amounts of FWAs are used in the paper and paperboard industry, but no standard method exists for quantitative FWA analysis. Therefore, a new method is needed to analyze the presence of FWAs in paper and paperboard to control their additions and applications. In particular, FWA analysis must concentrate on those used for surface treatment of paper because their use in surface applications has increased recently. The purposes of this study were to measure the optical properties of papers surface-treated with oxidized starch containing FWAs and to deduce the regression equations for the quantitative analysis of FWAs used for surface treatments. Surface sizing was carried out to treat the surface of a base paper with T-FWA and H-FWA, and the pickup weight of the surface sized paper was measured to determine the real weight of FWAs transferred onto the paper surface. After surface sizing and preconditioning, the paper was evaluated for CIE whiteness, ISO brightness, fluorescence index, and reflectance at 440 nm using an Elrepho spectrophotometer. The CIE whiteness and the ISO brightness increased linearly as FWA content increased. The fluorescence index and the reflectance showed linear relationships with T-FWA and H-FWA. Linear regression equations were determined for the quantitative analysis of FWAs used for surface treatments.