Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd. (NPI) has developed functional
materials that have the features and characteristics of minerals through its
unique technologies of fixing and compounding particulate minerals and pulp
(cellulose fibers), a raw material in paper, with each other. Through this
technology, by using wood pulp as the basic material, NPI will be able to
provide new materials with the variety of characteristics that minerals
contain.
In the manufacturing method of the new functional materials that NPI has
recently developed, unlike ordinary paper, composites of mineral particles and
cellulose fibers are created by densely bonding mineral particles onto the
surface of cellulose fibers. By using these as raw materials, it has become
possible to manufacture paper with a content ratio of up to 90% minerals. This
has enabled NPI to provide new materials that have the characteristics and
advantages of both minerals and paper and cellulose fibers. Moreover, the new
functional materials are able to be processed into different shapes, such as
wet pulp, sheets, boards (laminates) and powder, as required. They are also
recycling-friendly because they use wood, which is renewable, as their raw
materials. As a result, the new functional materials are expected to contribute
to the development of a resource recycling sustainable society.
NPI has named the new functional materials Mineral Hybrid Fiber, and has
applied for trademark registration under the trademark, MinerPaTM. Going
forward, NPI will seek to develop commercial products in a variety of areas,
including flame retardant wallpaper and partition boards, paper towels with
deodorizing and antibacterial properties and construction materials with
radiation shielding effects.
The new hybrid materials described above will be exhibited in NPI's exhibition booth at Neo Functional Material 2017 that is scheduled to be held at Tokyo Big Sight from Wednesday, February 15, 2017 to Friday, February 17, 2017.
