Impact of kaolin filler on physical and mechanical paper properties formed by ECF pulp

The paper industry is the main global consumer of kaolin. It is mostly used as paper filler, due to its lower cost as compared to pulp cost. Color removal process from pulp - chemical bleaching - determines final pulp's characteristics. Effort has been made to make possible to obtain less toxic bleaching processes. This study aims to evaluate the influence of three bleaching sequences, on kaolin retention and paper properties. Industrial eucalyptus kraft pulp, oxygen pre-delignified, was bleached by the sequences D(E+P)DP (reference), AHT(E+P)DP (ECF-A) and AHTD(E+P)P (ECF-Light). Kaolin was added to the pulps after its refining in PFI mill to 40°SR, corresponding to an amount of 20% weighted kaolin for each handsheet. The results showed the addition of 20% kaolin significantly presented lower retention for ECF-Light sample, remaining reference sequence equal to A-ECF sequence; the higher the fines content, the greater the retention load; the ECF-Light sequence showed higher cost, lower tear resistance and low internal resistance of fibers; smoothness and compression were not influenced by bleaching sequence or by adding kaolin