SURFACE-MODIFIED CELLULOSIC MATERIALS AND METHODS OF PRODUCING THE SAME

• Main Authors: MINHAS, GURMINDER, GOURLAY, KEITH
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 28.12.2017
• Subjects: IMPREGNATING OR COATING OF PAPER; PAPER NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PAPER-MAKING; PREPARATION THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES D21C OR D21D; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE; PULP COMPOSITIONS; TEXTILES; TREATMENT OF FINISHED PAPER NOT COVERED BY CLASS B31 OR SUBCLASS D21G

Cellulosic materials modified with a surface modifier to promote compatibility with a hydrophobic material and methods for producing surface-modified cellulosic materials are provided. The methods include providing a slurry of a cellulosic material and adding a surface modifier to the slurry. The surface modifier may be added to the slurry in a soluble form and precipitated by adjusting the p H. The surface-modified cellulosic material may be solvent-dried and/or dried using conventional drying methods to enhance hydrophobicity. To solvent-dry the surface-modified cellulosic material, a solvent is added to an aqueous slurry of the surface-modified cellulosic material to form an azeotrope. The azeotrope has a boiling point that is less than the boiling point of the solvent. The slurry is distilled to remove the azeotrope from the surface-modified cellulose material. The solvent is removed from the surface-modified cellulose material.