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Denna studie syftar till att belysa papper som konsthantverksmaterial. Studien aktualiserar hur konsthantverkare som arbetar i papper beskriver sin relation till materialet och hur konsthantverkare som arbetar i papper upplever att deras val av material påverkar deras arbetssituation. Uppsatsen bygger på kvalitativa intervjuer med sex konsthantverkare som arbetar professionellt i Sverige med att på olika sätt skapa objekt i papper eller på olika sätt skapa materialet papper. Resultatet visar att konsthantverkare som arbetar i papper har en relation till materialet som genomsyras av trygghet, närhet, glädje och kontroll. Genom utbildning och/eller experiment har konsthantverkarna stärkt sin relation ytterligare till materialet. Pappret upplevs billigt, lättillgängligt och enkelt att bearbeta vilket medför att informanterna kan vara flexibla i deras arbeten och djupt utforska materialet. Papprets förgänglighet medför att konsthantverkarna kan uppleva det svårt att sälja sina produkter, men denna egenskap anses även korrelera med deras pappersprodukters avsedda funktion. Uttrycksmedlet papper har gett konsthantverkare en bättre arbetssituation än vad de tidigare upplevt när de till exempel tecknat eller målat då det innebär färre problem och ger fler idéer till gestaltning, de menar att pappret innehar stora möjligheter. I den nuvarande trenden som råder för pappershantverk, som bland annat kan ses på internet, kan arbeten i materialet bli särskilt uppmärksammade. Att arbeta med papper innebär också att konsthantverkarna ibland möter oförstående reaktioner från andra människor vad gäller materialet och den använda tekniken, vilket tyder på att föremål i papper normalt inte är särskilt vanligt och medför att de med tal behöver förklara sina arbeten. Arbetet i papper betyder även att konsthantverkarnas insats i form av tanke, kreativitet och tid blir viktig i det anspråkslösa materialet.

The purpose of this thesis was to analyse the supply of pulp and paper products in the three major producing provinces of Canada, namely British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. A translog restricted profit function and its first partial derivatives were estimated using the iterative seemingly unrelated regressions procedure. Derived demand equations for energy, fibre, labour and supply equations for net market pulp, newsprint and 'other paper and paperboard", (net market pulp and 'all paper and paperboard' for British Columbia) were obtained with net supplies as a function of each input and output price. The success of the model in representing the industry was mixed. Derived demand own price elasticities were, in almost all cases, negative as expected a priori. Negative own price elasticities were also found in many end product supply functions suggesting a misspecification of the supply relationship. The unexpected supply function results bring up questions about the degree of competitiveness in pulp and paper markets, and thus the validity of using the perfectly competitive market assumption in empirical studies. Finally the model was evaluated in the context of using the results in a spatial equilibrium model of the North American pulp and paper sector. / Forestry, Faculty of / Graduate

Renewable lignocellulosic materials are promising green plastic alternatives to fossil fuel-based plastics. However, the hydrophilic nature and poor water resistance of lignocellulosic materials have hindered their practical applications. This study reports a facile metal-ion-modification (MIM) route, swelling with aqueous metal ion solutions, and drying to convert conventional hydrophilic paper and wood pulp into biodegradable hydrophobic paper and tableware without the addition of hydrophobic sizing chemicals/materials. Metal ions such as Fe3+ and Zr4+ can coordinate with pulp fibers’ polar groups (i.e., O.H., C=O, and COOH) that induce self-assembly of their surface fibrillated “hairy” cellulose nanofibrils to form a more compact structure with fewer available O.H. groups for water sorption. The formation of coordination bonds with polar groups (i.e., O.H., C=O, and COOH) decreases the surface energy of pulp fibers and increases their hydrophobicity and water resistance. Only ~3 mg of metal ions is needed to induce the wettability transition in 1 g of kraft pulp, resulting in hydrophobic paper and tableware with water contact angles (WCAs) of 120-140° and displayed wet tensile strengths of up to 9.5 MPa, and low water absorbency, which were comparable to synthetic polymer films. This MIM technique can be integrated into the existing paper-making process for the scalable production of hydrophobic papers and tableware, providing an alternative route for developing sustainable and biodegradable plastic counterparts. The MIM-induced lignocellulose hydrophobization mechanisms were elucidated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and density functional theory (DFT). Furthermore, this MIM technique was also evaluated for its applicability in wood treatment. The treatment effectively tunes the wood surface from hydrophilic to hydrophobic, enhancing its water resistance. The MIM treatment significantly improved the dimensional stability of SYP, red oak, and poplar. For example, the Fe3+ treatment reduced the tangential swelling of SYP, poplar, and red oak by 57%, 50%, and 40%, respectively. Overall, this eco-friendly and facile MIM method holds promise for developing sustainable and biodegradable alternatives to conventional plastics, contributing to a more environmentally friendly future.

Master of Arts / Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work / Gerad D. Middendorf / The label “fair-trade” might seem to be a definitive designation: either a product is or isn’t. In fact, a continuum exists, resultant mostly from the participation in fair-trade by diverse groups of producer organizations, buyers, certifying organizations, and consumers. Therefore, the way fair-trade is perceived and practiced cannot be presumed to be homogenous. In order to better understand the complexities of fair-trade, a qualitative study was carried out to examine one fair-trade product and its producers. Two Nepalese handmade paper companies, Bhaktapur Craft Paper (BCP) and Get Paper Industry (GPI), were studied to gain insight into the producers’ perceptions, interpretations, and practices of fair-trade. This study also assesses the impact of fair-trade affiliation on the socio-economic conditions of producers and workers. To provide the opportunity for comparison, the cases of BCP and GPI were also compared, where possible, to those of a non-fair-trade company, Bagmati Paper Industries (BPI). The study finds that the fair-trade producer organizations were affiliated with fair-trade networks primarily to promote their business by way of the multiple and committed trading partners involved in fair-trade. Also, affiliation seemed to have positive impacts on the overall business of the paper companies, contributing to growth in sales over the years. Likewise, different training programs sponsored by fair-trade organizations, such as Fair Trade Group Nepal and World Fair Trade Organization-Asia, and fair-trade buyers also contributed to the capacity enhancement of producer organizations. The producers in the paper companies lacked an understanding of fair-trade due to a lack of participation in decision making, a high level of illiteracy among producers, and because management did not consider producer awareness of fair-trade as significant. The study finds positive impacts of fair-trade involvement on the producers’ socio-economic position: a company’s participation in and practice of fair-trade is positively related to improvement in the socio-economic conditions of producers. Considering wages, work-hours, working conditions, and job satisfaction of workers, the fair-trade companies were determined to more favorably affect workers’ lives than the non-fair-trade company.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1961 A43

Master of Science / Department of Grain Science and Industry / Praveen V. Vadlani / Paper mill sludge is a solid waste generated from the paper-making industry. Cellulose in the sludge can be hydrolyzed into glucose using a cellulase enzyme complex, which can then be fermented to produce value added chemicals, such as lactic acid. The enzyme requirement for hydrolysis of the cellulose in paper sludge was benchmarked against paper pulp. Enzymatic requirements for complete conversion of cellulose in paper pulp was found to be 12 fpu cellulase, supplemented with 5 egu of beta-glucosidase per gram of cellulose. However, beta-glucosidase supplementation had to be increased to 38 egu to obtain a similar level of hydrolysis in the case of paper sludge indicating a decrease in enzyme activity due to sludge components. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to study the lactic acid yield from paper sludge using enzyme dosage and temperature as parameters and operating in simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) mode. Maximum lactic acid yield of 0.75 g/g glucose was obtained within 36 hours using 10 fpu cellulase supplemented with 32 egu beta-glucosidase at a temperature of 39 degree C. Using the optimization function of the software, the optimal operational conditions for paper sludge hydrolysis were found to be 9 fpu cellulase, 12.5 egu beta-glucosidase at 40 degree C which resulted in a lactic acid yield of 0.58 g /g glucose. Lactic acid producing microbial cultures, Lactobacillus plantarum and Rhizopus oryzae were evaluated for fermentation of the pulp and sludge hydrolyzate at 125-ml shake flask and 2-L fermenter levels. In paper pulp media, the yields obtained by bacterial and fungal fermentations were 0.89 and 0.36 g/g glucose, respectively. In the case of paper sludge, the yield remained same, but inhibition of bacterial growth occurred. This resulted in lower substrate uptake and productivity than those obtained in paper pulp. On the other hand, fungal growth rate was enhanced due to the high solids content of paper sludge. The yield of lactic acid from paper sludge using L. plantarum and R. oryzae was 0.88 and 0.72 g/g glucose, respectively. Microbial cultures native to the sludge were isolated and evaluated for their performance of lactic acid production.

MBL 3 Research Report / This study investigated the economic significance of using bagasse as a source of raw material for pulp and paper manufacturing. The study also compared this issue with the currently undergoing practices of cogeneration, where bagasse is burnt in the sugar mill boilers to produce steam and generate electricity.

Submitted in complete fulfilment for Masters Degree in Technology: Biotechnology, Durban University of Technology, 2013. / A comparative thermostability analysis of different partially purified xylanases from Rhodothermus marinus, Bacillus halodurans, Thermomyces lanuginosus and Pulpzyme HC was studied using differential scanning fluorometry (DSF), fluorescence spectroscopy and circular dichroism (CD). The R. marinus xylanase was found to have an optimum temperature and pH of 90oC and 6 respectively while the B. halodurans xylanase was optimally active at 70oC and a broad range of alkaline pH of 8 - 10. The commercially available xylanase from T. lanuginosus showed optimal activity at 50oC and pH 7 while the Novozyme xylanase Pulpzyme HC showed optimal activity at 60oC and pH 7. Fluorescence spectroscopy monitored the microenvironment and fluorescence emission of Trp residues. In their native folded state, Trp are generally located in the core of the protein but during unfolding they become exposed. The fluorescence changes as the enzyme undergoes denaturation due to conformational changes and exposure of Trp residues. Differential scanning fluorometry (DSF) monitors thermal unfolding of proteins in the presence of a fluorescent dye such as Spyro Orange. A wide range of buffers were tested for their ability to increase the xylanase stability. T. lanuginosus had the greatest increase in melting temperature with 0.73M Bis Tris pH 6.5 and peaked highest at 78°C. The B. halodurans xylanase exhibited high pH stability (pH 4-10) and exhibited very little change in melting temperature, from 74°C-77°C over the twenty four different conditions. The R. marinus xylanase had no increase in melting temperature showing a maximum melting temperature of 90oC. Circular dichroism (CD) measures unequal absorption of right- and left-handed circularly polarized light by the molecule. The xylanase from R. marinus exhibited the lowest ΔG of 34.71kJ at 90°C as was expected. The B. halodurans xylanase showed a much higher ΔG of -52.71 at its optimum temperature of 70°C when compared with the xylanases from R. marinus and T. lanuginosus. When comparing the three xylanases activities at 70°C, it can be seen that the B. halodurans xylanase exhibited a lower relative activity then both R. marinus and T. lanuginosus xylanases. All three techniques offered different information on the structure and function relationship. Fluorescence spectroscopy, the change in conformation due to fluorescence emission as a result of increased temperature and salt concentrations. DSF, optimal conditions for increased stability and activity at higher temperatures and CD, conformational changes, the fraction of folded protein and change in Gibbs free energy over a range of temperature. / National Research Foundation