Characterization of surfaces of CTMP fibers using inverse gas chromatography combined with multivariate data analysis

Abstract The effect of CTMP fiber surface composition on interactions with various solvents was characterized using inverse gas chromatography, and the data obtained with this method was evaluated using multivariate data analysis. The amount of extractives was shown to have a major influence on the degree of interactions between fiber and solvents. There were also discemible effects of counter-ions to acidic groups and mild peroxide bleaching on surfaces. IGC combined with multivariate data analysis may be a useful tool in explaining variations in e.g. retention and sizing on the board machine.