Bacterial Cellulose; as a New Material for Papermaking.

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is produced by some strains of Acetobacter. The BC has unique network structure of fine fiber. The BC can be obtained with two typical methods, namely static and agitated culture. We have found some structural differences between these two types of BC. We, therefore, investigated the properties of the BCs for papermaking.When these two types of BCs were added at wet-end, both tensile strength and filler-retention of the handsheets were improved. Especially, the BC from agitated culture had higher effects on filler-retention than that from static one. Thus, the BC may be useful as a wet-end additive for papermaking.