Use of near infrared spectroscopy and multivariate calibration in predicting the properties of tissue paper made of recycled fibers and virgin pulp

Softness and tensile strength are two major tissue paper properties that govern consumer acceptance. In this work an attempt was made to use Near Infrared Spectroscopy combined with chemometric techniques to predict these properties.; For this study four variables were chosen; raw material, amount of debonder, amount of wet strength resin and the level of refining. For each condition, handsheet spectra were taken and then the softness and the tensile strength were measured in a conventional manner. Data and the spectral absorbance values were then used with Quant + software to generate a model which was used to predict the properties of the unknown samples.; Predictions obtained from this study show that it is possible to use NIR spectroscopy combined with multivariate calibration and chemometric techniques to predict the softness and tensile properties of tissue paper. Results show the model capability of prediction is of same magnitude for each phase. The Root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) value obtained was approximately 2.0% for tensile strength and 0.15% for softness in each phase. The technique can be used to replace the conventional procedures. The results indicate the applicability of NIR and chemometric procedures for tissue. The technique can be evaluated in actual mill conditions for maximum utilization. Although there could be certain limitations of high instrumental cost but once installed the procedure can be used to measure properties of paper very effectively and quickly. Also it could reduce the amount of broke generated while maintaining a uniform product.