FTIR analysis of prints on paper substrates with virgin straw fibres

Over the past decade, the use of recycled paper in the paper and graphic industry worldwide has become increasingly common. However, the recycling process can degrade the properties of the paper, so the recovered cellulose fibres are often blended with a certain amount of virgin fibres to improve the strength and quality of the paper, and thus the quality of the print. Paper as cellulose-based printing substrates can be damaged by photolytic degradation caused by exposure to light and high temperatures. This research has focused on analysing the stability of prints on laboratory paper substrates made with 30% virgin straw fibres. Using FTIR analysis of prints obtained with different printing techniques, an evaluation of the optical stability of the samples after artificial aging treatment was performed. Artificial aging treatment was carried out according to ASTM D 6789-02 standard, in which the samples were exposed to visible and near-ultraviolet electromagnetic radiation ranging from 290 nm to 800 nm in a chamber over two 48-hour cycles. The results of this analysis confirm that the addition of virgin straw fibres to recycled paper pulp results in improved optical stability of prints on paper substrates.