The interest towards foam forming technology has grown due to the need to manufacture current and new bio-based products in a more cost-efficient and environmentally sustainable way. In this technology, aqueous foam (air content between 30…70%) is utilized as a medium for transferring raw materials in the process. Recent studies have shown that fiber foam characteristics have a clear effect on the manufacturing process and the properties of the final product. For example, the bubble size distribution and air content of fiber foam have been shown to correlate with the stability of the fiber foam and the structure (uniformity and pore size distribution) of the final product. This means that understanding of the role of external conditions and chemical interaction taking place in the aqueous fiber foams would enable manufacturing of totally new and tailored cellulose-based structures. In this laboratory-scale examination, the effects of different external conditions (such as temperature, consistency and foam generation conditions) and some chemical-based variables (such as water hardness, pH and surfactant content) on fiber foam systems were examined. The results showed clearly that both chemical interactions and external conditions have significant effects on fiber foam characteristics, such as foaming rate, maximum air content, foam stability and bubble size distribution. This study was carried out by utilizing only one selected anionic foaming agent. However, this work gives some guidelines on the effects (and discusses the mechanisms) of different variables affecting fiber foam characteristics.

Effects of external conditions and chemical interactions on the behavior of aqueous cellulose-based foams

251st National Meeting (2016)

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