Effect of Hemicellulose on the Wet Tensile Strength of Kozo Paper

Kozo paper, usu-mino-gami, is frequently used as the first back lining paper of hanging scrolls in order to support the main paper with a painting or a work of calligraphy on it. To dye it an appropriate color, paper is often treated with an alkali mordant solution. However, current kozo paper products have received such comments from conservators that wet tensile strength is weak and hard to handle. Therefore, improving the wet tensile strength of kozo paper is required. In previous papers, the effect of the sheet forming method, cooking condition, and parenchyma cell content between fibers on the wet tensile strength of kozo paper has been investigated. In this paper, the effect of glucuronoxylan, the main component of hardwood hemicellulose on the wet tensile strength of kozo paper was investigated. The wet tensile strength of kozo paper, when made in different cooking conditions, was evaluated using the Finch device. Glucuronoxylan content in fiber was analyzed using GC-FID. According to the results, it has been proved that glucuronoxylan content (with a xylan to glucan molar ratio of 4.43% to 5.16%) itself contributes to the wet tensile strength of the kozo sheet. Therefore, to increase the wet tensile strength of kozo paper, it is recommended to cook under milder conditions, thus retaining a higher amount of glucuronoxylan in the pulp.