FILLERS

(Loading Materials For Paper)

ByK.V.Rajesh

Introduction:
In The earlier days it was discovered that adding Calcium

Sulphate to paper enhanced its printing and writing charateristics.

Since then mineral fillers have been utilized by

Papermakers.
Now these fillers represent the largest fibrous component of

paper.(In terms of weight) For many years filler clay was the main papermaking filler, but now we use a wider variety of filler pigments.

Properties improved by adding mineral pigments to Paper:

Formation and sheet structure fill in sheet voids Appearance properties brightness, opacity, whiteness, gloss. Texture and feel smoothness. Printability smoothness, show-through, ink absorption. Dimensional stability Cost savings fiber substitution.

Different types of mineral pigments

Titanium dioxide (TiO2)
Kaolin Clay

Talc
Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3)

Aluminium trihydrate
Silicas

Plastic pigments

Titanium dioxide It has the highest refractive index of any white pigment and consequently, has the greatest specific opacifying power. Natural deposits of titanium contain either 40-60% TiO2 (ilmenite) or 90% TiO2 (rutile). In most instances ilmenite ore is treated to produce either rutile or anatase TiO2 filler pigments of purity greater than 98% TiO 2 Titanium dioxide use in paper filler has declined somewhat in recent years due to its cost and environmental issues relating to its manufacture.

Kaolin clay fillers

Kaolin clay has a typical chemical composition of 39% Al2O3, 46% SiO2 and 13% H2O. The best brightness and opacity properties are achieved with clays that have undergone more beneficiation during their preparation processes (e.g. washing, delamination, degritting, bleaching, magnetic treatment and leaching). These treatments result in higher brightness pigments having smaller particle sizes. Further treatments such as calcination or treatment with high charge density cationic polymers, produce structured clays that have high surface areas and improved light scattering capabilities.

Calcium Carbonate
Chemically calcium carbonate is 98-100% CaCO3 Some common types of calcium carbonate are Natural Chalk, Limestone Precipitated Scalenohedral, Rhombic, Acicular, Spherical, Cubic. Natural calcium carbonates are produced by grinding limestone and are referred to as ground calcium carbonate. Precipitated calcium carbonate is produced by chemical reactions. Ground calcium carbonates usually have a large average particle size distribution than the precipitated products.

 Within the category of precipitated calcium carbonates, different products can be produced by varying the precipitation conditions. The most common form of precipitated calcium carbonate filler in use today is the scalenohedral calcite material.

Talc
Due to its unique surface property, talc is used in pitch control applications.

It is not utilized to any great extent by the paper industry.

Precipitated Silica
Small quantities of synthetic amorphous silica pigments are used in conjunction with other filler pigments to enhance brightness and opacity. The hydrated silica form of this product consists of 78% SiO2 and 59% CaO. Precipitated silicas have extremely small, spherical ultimate particles. These particles are aggregated into grape-like clusters that have very high specific surface.

Filler particle shape

Particle shape directly influences the way pigment aggregates are organized in the sheet (i.e. their packing) Spherically shaped TiO2 and silica fillers tend to pack into tight aggregates that have many filler-to-filler interfaces and few filler-to-air interfaces. The platy clays and talcs do the same Ground and precipitated CaCO3 do not pack into tight aggregates, but form particle clusters that have significant void spaces and many pigment-to-air interfaces. This behavior significantly affects the light scattering attributes of the pigments - particularly at higher loading levels.

Important properties of fillers

Filler Average Brightness, % Particle Size, 0.2 2.0 0.7 1.5 0.7 3.0 0.3 3.0 78 -90 90 95 80 95 96 100 Refractive Index 1.57 1.60 1.59 1.59 Specific Surface Area, m2/g 10 -25 15 25 2 12 5 25

Filler clay Calcined clay Ground CaCO3 Precipitated CaCO3

Titanium Dioxide
Talc Precipitated Silica

0.2 0.4
1.5 10.0 0.1 3.0

98 100
85 90 93 - 99

2.55
----------1.55

7 12
9 20 45 75

Preferential adsorption of additives by fine particles

Fillers and fines have very high specific surface areas relative to fibers, consequently, they tend to absorb greater quantities of additives per unit weight than fibers. This behavior has several important ramifications in papermaking: First: poor first pass filler retention leads to buildup of filler in the white water loop and fresh cationic additives will readily absorbed into this excess material and be lost. Second: additives are often less efficient when they are located on filler surfaces than when they are located on fiber surfaces.

Third: unequal distribution of filler that exists through the thickness of the sheet gives rise to two-sidedness. In order to minimize problems like these, the papermaker must be cognizant of the relative addition points of filler and other additives and constantly strive to achieve high first pass filler retention.

Adverse effects of filler on strength properties

The addition of filler adversely affects most strength properties by directly interfering with interfiber bonding. Particle size and shape play key roles in determining the severity of this effect for a given pigment.

In general, the smaller the pigment particles, the greater their negative effect on strength.
Spherically shaped filler particles, like TiO 2 and platelet particles like clay have greater effects than irregularly shaped Calcium carbonate.

Thank You