All Issue

2026 Vol.58, Issue 2 Preview Page

Original Paper

Recyclability of Paper Prepared from Polyelectrolyte Multilayer-Treated Fibers
Jaeho Ryu1
,
Heenae Shin2
,
Hye Jung Youn3†
1R&D Center, Greeneple Inc., CTO
2Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Senior Researcher
3Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Bioresources and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Professor
†Corresponding Author: E-mail: page94@snu.ac.kr (Address: Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Bioresources, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea)
30 April 2026. pp. 52-63
PDF XML Citation
Abstract

The recyclability of paper prepared from pulp fibers modified by polyelectrolyte layer-by-layer (LbL) multilayering was evaluated in terms of repulping stability, preservation of mechanical properties after recycling, and deinkability of laser-printed sheets. Hardwood bleached kraft pulp fibers were multilayered using four polyelectrolyte combinations (poly-DADMAC/PSS, C-PAM/PSS, C-starch/PSS, and C-PAM/A-PAM) with various layer numbers to prepare handsheets. After repulping, electrochemical properties of the fibers and the mechanical properties of the recycled sheets were evaluated. In addition, deinkability was evaluated based on the brightness of flotation-deinked laser-printed sheets. The zeta potential maintained its odd-even periodicity after repulping, indicating that the multilayer structure remained on the fiber surfaces, while the filtrate charge demand changed little, suggesting minimal release of polyelectrolytes. Among the chemical combinations tested, C-starch/PSS showed the greatest preservation of strength enhancement after recycling, with tensile and tear indices increasing by up to 86.2% and 224.8%, respectively, compared to those of paper prepared from untreated fibers. LbL-treated papers exhibited increased brightness after deinking, particularly at higher layer numbers, suggesting facilitated toner detachment. These results demonstrate that properly designed LbL multilayering—especially C-starch/PSS—can maintain the mechanical performance of recycled fibers while improving deinkability, supporting its applicability in recycled fiber-based papermaking.

Keywords
Polyelectrolyte multilayering
fiber modification
recyclability
deinkability
paper strength
References
1

Decher, G., Hong, J. D., & Schmitt, J. (1992). Buildup of ultrathin multilayer films by a self-assembly process. III: Consecutively alternating adsorption of anionic and cationic polyelectrolytes on charged surfaces. Thin Solid Films, 210(1-2), 831-835.

10.1016/0040-6090(92)90417-A
2

Decher, G. (1997). Fuzzy nanoassemblies: Toward layered polymeric multicomposites. Science, 277, 1232-1237.

10.1126/science.277.5330.1232
3

Wågberg, L., Forsberg, S., Johansson, A., & Juntti, P. (2002). Engineering of fibre surface properties by application of the polyelectrolyte multilayer concept. Part I: Modification of paper strength. Journal of Pulp and Paper Science, 28(7), 222-228.

4

Lvov, Y. M., Grozdits, G. A., Eadula, S., Zheng, Z., & Lu, Z. (2006). Dry and wet strength of paper - Layer-by-layer nanocoating of mill broken fibers for improved paper. Nordic Pulp and Paper Research Journal, 21(5), 552-557.

10.3183/npprj-2006-21-05-p552-557
5

Lu, Z., Eadula, S., Zheng, Z., Xu, K., Grozdits, G., & Lvov, Y. (2007). Layer-by-layer nanoparticle coatings on lignocellulose wood microfibers. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 292, 56-62.

10.1016/j.colsurfa.2006.06.008
6

Youn, H. J., Chin, S. M., Ryu, J., & Kwon, H. S. (2007). Basic study on electrochemical properties of multilayered pulp fibers with polyelectrolytes. Journal of Korea TAPPI, 39(4), 53-60.

7

Chin, S. M., Ryu, J., Lee, S. R., & Youn, H. J. (2008). Effect of pulp type and fines content in a stock on the polyelectrolyte multilayering onto pulp fiber. Journal of Korea TAPPI, 40(3), 15-22.

8

Ryu, J. H., Lee, S., Chin, S. M., & Youn, H. J. (2008). Electrochemical properties of pulp fiber with LbL multilayering by polyelectrolyte at the different pH and salt concentration. Journal of Korea TAPPI, 40 (4), 59-65.

9

Ryu, J., Youn, H. J., Chin, S. M., & Lee, S. (2011). Effect of pH and conductivity in weak polyelectrolytes multilayering on paper properties. Nordic Pulp and Paper Research Journal, 26(4), 410-414.

10.3183/npprj-2011-26-04-p410-414
10

Lee, S., Ryu, J., Chin, S. M., & Youn, H. J. (2009). Effect of polyelectrolyte types in Layer-by-Layer multilayering treatment on physical properties of paper. Journal of Korea TAPPI, 41(4), 65-72.

11

Chin, S. M., Youn, H. J., Ryu, J., & Sim, K. (2012). Polyelectrolyte multilayering of fibers with different polymer combinations and a comparison of its effect on paper strength with a conventional dry strength agent treatment. Nordic Pulp and Paper Research Journal, 27(5), 915-922.

10.3183/npprj-2012-27-05-p915-922
12

Lee, J., Ryu, J., & Youn, H. J. (2012). Conductive paper through LbL multilayering with conductive polymer: Dominant factors to increase electrical conductivity. Cellulose, 19(6), 2153-2164.

10.1007/s10570-012-9781-6
13

Sim, K., Lee, S., Chin, S. M., Ryu, J., & Youn, H. J. (2010). Interaction between polyelectrolytes layer-by-layer assembled fibers and fluorescent whitening agent. Journal of Korea TAPPI, 42(4), 71-77.

14

Fu, Y., Wang, R., Li, D., Wang, Z., Zhang, F., Meng, Q., & Qin, M. (2015). Changes in the microstructure and properties of aspen chemithermomechanical pulp fibres during recycling. Carbohydrate Polymers, 117, 862-868.

10.1016/j.carbpol.2014.10.036
15

Schönhoff, M. (2003). Layered polyelectrolyte complexes: Physics of formation and molecular properties. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 15, R1781-R1808.

10.1088/0953-8984/15/49/R01
16

Asta, N., Kaplan, M., Kulachenko, A., Östlund, S., and Wågberg, L. (2024). Influence of density and chemical additives on paper mechanical properties. Cellulose, 31, 5809-5822.

10.1007/s10570-024-05917-6
17

Hubbe, M. A., Venditti, R. A., & Rojas, O. J. (2007). What happens to cellulosic fibers during papermaking and recycling? A review. BioResources, 2(4), 739-788.

18

Seo, J. H., Choi, D. C., Ryu, J. Y., & Chung, S. H. (2015). Effect of fatty acid and non-ionic surfactant on the deinkability of mixed recovered paper. Journal of Korea TAPPI, 47(2), 34-41.

10.7584/ktappi.2015.47.2.034
19

Hubbe, M. A., Heitmann, J. A., & Rojas, O. J. (2008). Factors affecting the efficiency of flotation deinking. BioResources, 3(2), 553-588.

10.15376/biores.2.4.500-533
Information
  • Publisher :Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국펄프종이공학회
  • Journal Title :Journal of Korea TAPPI
  • Journal Title(Ko) :펄프종이기술
  • Volume : 58
  • No :2
  • Pages :52-63
  • Received Date : 2026-03-17
  • Revised Date : 2026-04-08
  • Accepted Date : 2026-04-09
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.7584/JKTAPPI.2026.4.58.2.52
Journal Informaiton Journal of Korea TAPPI Journal of Korea TAPPI
Online Submission
  • scopus
  • NRF
  • KOFST
  • crossref crossmark
  • crossref cited-by
  • crosscheck
  • orcid
Journal Informaiton Journal Informaiton - close