O presente trabalho tem como objectivo analisar o impacto de crise sub-prime no mercado português de papel e pasta para papel, nomeadamente na empresa Portucel. O período observado situa-se entre 2005 e 2010, havendo uma clara distinção entre o 1º triénio (2005- 2007) referente ao pré-crise e ao 2º triénio (2008-2010) referente à época de crise sub-prime. Este estudo parte da análise das rendibilidades anuais da Portucel, da análise de indicadores económico-financeiros desta empresa e ainda da comparação das rendibilidades anuais com variáveis macroeconómicas. Os resultados confirmam que esta crise global afectou o mercado da pasta para papel e do papel e as rendibilidades da Portucel, embora esta última tenha sido menos afectada que as suas congéneres. Confirma-se ainda que, quer os factores macroeconómicos quer os microeconómicos são explicativos de um menor rendimento da empresa.

The coefficient of friction for different contacting materials against skin is mainly influenced by the nature of the materials (synthetic and natural fabrics), mechanical contact parameters (interfacial pressure and sliding velocities), and physiological skin conditions (ambient humidity and skin moisture content). In the present research work, seven different types of papers used in everyday life were analyzed. The physical properties of these materials were determined through tensile tests and friction tests. By comparing mechanical properties with coefficient of friction, it was possible to conclude that the coefficient of friction is strongly correlated with the mechanical properties.

No âmbito deste trabalho, foram analisados 7 diferentes tipos de papel, 6 utilizados para higiene pessoal e um outro, o papel de impressão, que serviu como termo de comparação face a um maior número de estudos prévios existentes. Para isso, foram determinadas as propriedades físicas destes materiais, através de ensaios de tracção e de testes de atrito. Através dos ensaios de tracção foi possível obter as seguintes propriedades mecânicas: resistência à tracção, deformação à rotura, rigidez à tracção e absorção de energia à tracção. As propriedades tribológicas foram medidas, nomeadamente o coeficiente de atrito. O atrito foi determinado através de uma sonda de medição portátil baseada num sensor de força de 2 eixos, em que a força normal e a força tangencial foram medidas. Também a espessura e a gramagem dos vários tipos de papel foram medidas.Posteriormente, foram realizados questionários de percepção táctil, onde 29 voluntários (10 do sexo feminino e 19 do sexo masculino) avaliaram os diferentes tipos de papel numa escala háptica de 1 a 5, e de acordo com as seguintes qualidades: suave-áspero; macio-duro; escorregadio-aderente e agradável-desagradável. De modo a uniformizar esta escala, foram utilizados materiais de referência. Além disso, os voluntários estavam impossibilitados de visualizar os materiais que estavam a avaliar.Por comparação entre as propriedades físicas com as qualidades tácteis, foi possível concluir que o coeficiente de atrito está fortemente correlacionado com as sensações de suavidade e de agradabilidade ao toque. Também foi encontrada uma correlação fortemente positiva entre o coeficiente de atrito e a resistência à tracção. Por outro lado, foi encontrada uma correlação fortemente negativa entre o coeficiente de atrito e a rigidez à tracção, a espessura e a gramagem.

The present work describes and analyses the context of the paper and paper board sector and that of wood, paper and paper board wrapping and packaging sector, integrating the phases of industrial transformation up to the final products. The production flows are characterized, as well as the structure of the enterprises and workforce at the different phases of the productive cycle. The specificities associated with the domestic and external markets are also analysed. The description of the variables shows the economic importance of these sectors in the national context, attesting the significance of the exportations, as well as the generalized good performance of macroeconomic indicators as, for example, the labour productivity and the salaries----------------------------------------Sumário. O presente trabalho descreve e analisa o contexto das fileiras do papel e do cartão e das embalagens integrando as fases de transformação industrial até aos produtos finais, numa perspectiva de fileira. São caracterizados os fluxos de produção, a estrutura das empresas e do trabalho, nas diferentes fases do ciclo produtivo, e as especificidades associadas aos mercados interno e externo. A descrição das variáveis analisadas demonstra a importância económica destas fileiras no contexto nacional, evidenciando a sua relevância enquanto actividades onde as exportações merecem destaque, assim como o generalizado bom desempenho dos indicadores económicos, de que são exemplo a produtividade do trabalho e os salários praticados

The paper production process is extremely complex, involving different chemical and mechanical processes, raw materials with highly variable composition due to its natural origin, and compounds added to the process (additives) that interact with each other and with the raw materials, to improve the paper’s final properties. Considering paper’s social, monetary and environmental value, the optimization of this complex process is constantly being studied, to find more sustainable technologies, save resources and reduce costs.In this work, the main goal is to study the behavior of optical brightening agents (OBA) consumption of both paper machines (PM1 and PM2) of The Navigator Company’s Figueira da Foz industrial complex, as a starting point to reduce their consumption without compromising the quality of the paper. The addition of these agents improves the final product quality, more specifically, the paper sheet whiteness. Studying this variable’s behavior enables a better understanding of how to control OBA consumption, which is affected by many variations of process variables that negatively impact paper whiteness, leading to a spike in specific OBA use to address this issue. To accomplish this, various statistical analysis methods were employed, including control charts, specification conformity checks, correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), multivariate predictive parametric models, and multivariate predictive nonparametric models. These methods help identify which variables have the greatest influence on specific OBA consumption and allow for controlling these variables, thereby managing OBA use, conserving resources, and reducing costs.The control charts were utilized to assess the stability of the whiteness, if it was under statistical control, and to analyze the variability of the specific wet-end OBA consumption. Whiteness for both machines were not under statistical control, which is an expected result due to process complexity, yet that justifies efforts for continuous improvement. Specific wet-end OBA consumption presented a normal behavior for a manipulated variable, that is, high variability.Whiteness specification conformity check indicated that PM1 was above quality standards in 25% of the time and that PM2 appeared to be mainly under specifications due to a calibration problem in the measurement sensor.Correlation analysis’ goal was to find possible strong correlations between process variables and, at an early stage, specific wet-end OBA consumption and later specific total OBA consumption. PCA was utilized with the goal of finding further relations between specific wet-end OBA consumption that may not have been detected before. In the first analysis, 10 variables were selected for each machine, although not all were considered strong correlations and, in the second analysis, 6 new variables were found that were not selected before.Parametric models were built to assess what variability percentage could be explained and what variables would be considered as relevant. The nonparametric model was built to essentially capture nonlinear relationships. The first models were built with specific wet-end OBA consumption as response variable, but later on it was noted that, due to the existence of a pre-defined ratio between these consumption and dry-end OBA consumption, it would be interesting to build new models in which the response variable was the total specific OBA consumption, because the variation of dry-end OBA consumption had a significant influence in wet-end OBA consumption. The models were able to explain 45% of specific total OBA consumption’s variability, with the remaining variability having natural or unexplained origins (requiring more information of the pulp characteristics, and improvements in the control actions, through better feedback control).In the end, after gathering all the variables considered as most influencing the specific total OBA consumption throughout the various analysis carried out, it was possible to choose some that were more relevant, which should be the target of tighter control in order to improve the control of OBA consumption as a whole: Cationic Charge, Zeta Potential-Mutek, Pulp Brightness for TPB, Pulp suspension – brightness, Broke to mixing chest, Solids content in tank (Starch bottom and top Side), Total Chlorine in Headbox, Circulation Pick Up 2, Pulp suspension – viscosity, Eucalyptus flow.

Abstract The production of pulp and paper is increasing worldwide, and wastes are therefore being generated in appreciable amounts. Various materials are generated in pulp and paper mills, such as ash, dregs, grits, lime mud and pulp mill sludge. Over the years, these wastes have typically been sent to landfills or incinerated. However, with increased environmental awareness new alternatives have been investigated, especially the valorization of these materials. In this review, the characteristics of the manufacturing process, generated wastes, main destinations and recycling alternatives are addressed. The state of the art indicates that dregs are useful in agriculture as soil amendments, while lime mud can be used in agriculture and in environmental technology, mainly in wastewater treatment. Grits are commonly employed in construction, and pulp mill sludge shows applications in agriculture, construction and energy processes. In conclusion, this review shows several successful cases of recycling wastes from pulp and paper mills.

In this study, a simple and fast procedure was developed and validated for the determination of bisphenol A (BPA) in paper products using synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy. The method was used for the determination of BPA in thirteen types of paper products, including thermal receipt papers, lottery tickets, bus tickets, business cards, mailing envelopes, flyers, napkins, printing paper, food contact paper, kitchen rolls, toilet paper, newspapers, and magazines. BPA was found in 98% of thermal receipt papers (n = 341) at concentrations ranging from below the limit of quantification (LOQ) to 27.7 mg g−1 with a geometric mean of 14.6 mg g−1 and a median of 17.7 mg g−1. The detection rate for other paper products was 96%, with BPA concentrations ranging from below the LOQ to 379 µg g−1 and a median of 17.3 µg g−1. The estimated daily intake for the adjusted bodyweight of BPA (calculated at median concentrations) through dermal absorption from handling papers was 14.5 and 1070 ng day−1 for the general population and occupationally-exposed individuals, respectively. The proposed analytical method is simple, fast, and cost-effective for the determination of BPA in paper samples. Moreover, an estimated daily exposure of Brazilians to BPA through dermal absorption from handling different types of papers is shown.

Este texto analisa o olhar de Harold Innis em relação aos suportes da comunicação escrita através do tempo e trabalha a relação entre poder, sociedade e meios de comunicação por meio dos seus suportes. Focaliza a atualidade de uma obra, O viés da comunicação, só traduzida no Brasil em 2011. Refete sobre a transitoriedade de todos os suportes da escrita. Questiona o apego dos homens de cada época aos suportes dominantes em seus tempos. Cruza o pensamento de Innis com o de Vilém Flusser. Pergunta: o que vai desaparecer: papel ou escrita? Como será a comunicação sem papel?

Abstract: Social, economic, and cultural globalization and the consumer society have enabled science to definitively participate in people’s daily lives. Human knowledge has advanced at an extraordinary rate; science has become present and imperative; and never has more been expected from scientific advances than now. Here I addressed answers to the following questions: What is the importance of science? How can science be correctly communicated? What can we learn from comparing articles from Mendel and from Watson & Crick? How is a scientific paper to be written? How are target journals for publishing articles to be chosen? What is the impact factor of a journal and the h-index of a researcher, and what importance do they have? What is the role of authors, editors, and reviewers in the publication process? What are the main scientific databases? What are predatory journals/publishers and their consequences for science? What are particular features of articles in the area of plant breeding? Finally, in what directions is science moving, considering that it has come to stay?

The pulp and paper industry is increasingly seeking a sustainable and conscientious development, minimizing the environmental impacts caused by it. Therefore, reducing efficiently the number of stages used in the bleaching process can mean less consumption of water and chemical reagents, contributing to the reduction of harmful waste to the environment. Thus, this study sought to evaluate the pulp quality and some physical-mechanical properties (smoothness, tear and tensile indexes) of two new bleaching sequences A∗DP and A∗E∗DP and compare them with the reference D0(E+P)D1P. To do so, industrial eucalyptus Kraft pulp pre-delignified with oxygen was used. The bleached pulp was refined to 1200, 1800 and 2400, in PFI mill and tested according to TAPPI standards to determine smoothness, tear and tensile indexes. Based on the results obtained, it was verified that the sequences studied are viable for using in bleaching plants, which allowed a reduction in the chlorine dioxide consumption and presented satisfactory smoothness, tear and tensile indexes for paper.