Chemical pulping: the influence of the molecular weight of added xylan on pulp properties

The aim of this study was to investigate if added beech xylan with low molecule weight (Mw) could penetrate into the fiber wall to a greater extent compared to xylan with high Mw. The high Mw (ca 11000) xylan was degraded using enzymes to obtain xylan with low Mw (ca 1800). The influence from the added xylan on the strength properties was evaluated. The cooks in this study were performed without mechanical damage introduced during the cooking process, thus any conclusions of the impact from adding low Mw xylan on the sensitivity towards mechanical damage was not possible. The different microscopy analyses performed could not show any evidence for a higher penetration of xylan into the fiber wall when producing the pulp with addition of low molecular weight (low Mw) xylan. The low Mw xylan did not contribute to any improved pulp properties, rather the opposite. Addition of low Mw-xylan did not result in straighter fibers compared to the Ref-pulp, which was the case for the high Mw-xylan-pulp. The tensile indexdevelopment (tensile vs PFI-beating and tensile vs density) for the low Mw-pulp was even worse compared to the Ref-pulp. The pulp produced with addition of the high Mw-xylan showed, as earlier seen, an improved tensile index development compared to the Ref-pul

CRUW chemical pulping sub-project 1: the influence of xylan on the sensitivity towards fiber damage

The aim of this study was to determine if the presence and position of xylan in the fiber wall are of importance for the degree of damage introduced into fibers during mechanical action in the cook. Kraft pulps from spruce with different amounts of xylan have been produced in the laboratory, either by adding birch xylan in different positions in the cook or by redistribution of spruce xylan. At the end of the cook, fiber damages were introduced by subjecting the fibers to shear and compression forces. The extra birch xylan had adsorbed on the fiber surfaces, the outer fiber walls (presumably S1/primary wall) as well as on the fiber cell lumen wall. Xylan penetration into the fiber wall was very low. A large variation in coverage of surface xylan within the fibers and between fibers was noted. No significant difference between pulps produced in the different ways or between the pulps produced with or without mechanical treatment could however be observed. The extra xylan added resulted as expected in an improved tensile strength development for these pulps. No direct indications were seen that the extra xylan added during the cook resulted in a lower amount of introduced damaged areas. But some positive tendencies could be noted for the pulps produced with extra xylan added including: a lower kink/mm and lower amount of cleavage/fiber measured by the HCL method; and the zero-span level and tear-tensile relationship were not inferior compared to the reference despite the higher xylan content. The removal and subsequent re-introduction of xylan into the cook seemed to negatively influence the strength properties, i.e. the tear-tensile relationship was inferior compared to the reference pulp. The redistribution procedure may have drained the fiber wall of xylan negatively influencing the strength propertie

The Quest for a Nordic Church Fellowship Challenged by the Formation of the Nordic Ecumenical Institute/ Council

In the 20th Century, the Nordic regtion was often regarded as a politically and ecclessiastically homogenous area. Archbishop Söderblom was partly responsible for that conception by creating a Nordic Bishops´ Council and by conducting its business with intent to coordinate actions and declarations by the Nordic Folk Churches. In this paper I incuire into the fate of the Nordic Ecumenical Institute (founded in 1940), and, in doing so, I also look at the notion of Scandinavism and a Nordic region. I explore regions as areas for Christian cooperation. Furthermore the terms Institute and Council will be studied. Manfred Björkquist´s attempts to create in Sigtuna a Nordic Ecumenical Institute will be studied as well as his strategies to deal with the considerable  scepticism in the Nordic region, expressed particularly by the Church of Norway. Did such strategies lead to innate defects that caused the Nordic Ecumenical Council to collapse much later? I intend to demonstrate how political stress and theological controversy created conditions in which the Nordic Ecumenical Institute/ Council could not compensate for the loss of both an academic research role as well as the loss of the role of being a regional structure for the emerging World Council of Churches

The Quest for a Nordic Church Fellowship Challenged by the Formation of the Nordic Ecumenical Institute/ Council (MThesis)

In the 20th Century the Nordic region was often regarded as a politically, socially and ecclesiastically homogenous area. This was partly a conception formed by Archbishop Söderblom´s creating of a Nordic  Bishops´Council to coordinate actions and declarations by the Nordic Folk churches. The general ecumenical development during the 19th and 20th Centuries created a perceived need for a regional ecumenical organisation in the Nordic region to serve the emerging WCC. Mr Manfred Björkquist was the man who proposed the setting up of a Nordic Ecumenical Institute in Sigtuna, Sweden. His proposals were strongly critizised in particular by the Oslo Bishop, Eivind Berggrav. Bishop Berggrav managed to force Björkquist to give up his plans for academic research to be one of the objectives of the Nordic ecumenical Sigtuna Institute. In addition WCC elected to abandon the original planfor a regional membership structure for WCC. One may note a particular pattern for ecumenical impediments repeating itself. In the 19th Century intended church cooperation was made impossible in the Nordic region through political stress and theological controversy. Political stress during the 19th Century occurred when Denmark failed to muster Nordic support for a military take over of Schleswig. In the 20thCentury the 2nd World War created considerable political stress in the region. Theological controversy occurred in the 18th Century over the theology of Grundtvig and in the 20th Century over Episcopacy. Political stress and theological controversy created a non helpful context for the Nordic Ecumenical Institute after its formation in 1940. In that context the Institute had to handle the adverse effects of the loss of Academic research and the loss of a regional membership structure for WCC. The combination of losses in the unhelpful context appear to have been innate defects for an organisation that elected to ignore the dramatic changes and carry on with "business as usual" and in that manner prepare for its own disintegration

The Quest for a Nordic Church Fellowship Challenged by the Formation of the Nordic Ecumenical Institute/ Council (MThesis)

In the 20th Century the Nordic region was often regarded as a politically, socially and ecclesiastically homogenous area. This was partly a conception formed by Archbishop Söderblom´s creating of a Nordic  Bishops´Council to coordinate actions and declarations by the Nordic Folk churches. The general ecumenical development during the 19th and 20th Centuries created a perceived need for a regional ecumenical organisation in the Nordic region to serve the emerging WCC. Mr Manfred Björkquist was the man who proposed the setting up of a Nordic Ecumenical Institute in Sigtuna, Sweden. His proposals were strongly critizised in particular by the Oslo Bishop, Eivind Berggrav. Bishop Berggrav managed to force Björkquist to give up his plans for academic research to be one of the objectives of the Nordic ecumenical Sigtuna Institute. In addition WCC elected to abandon the original planfor a regional membership structure for WCC. One may note a particular pattern for ecumenical impediments repeating itself. In the 19th Century intended church cooperation was made impossible in the Nordic region through political stress and theological controversy. Political stress during the 19th Century occurred when Denmark failed to muster Nordic support for a military take over of Schleswig. In the 20thCentury the 2nd World War created considerable political stress in the region. Theological controversy occurred in the 18th Century over the theology of Grundtvig and in the 20th Century over Episcopacy. Political stress and theological controversy created a non helpful context for the Nordic Ecumenical Institute after its formation in 1940. In that context the Institute had to handle the adverse effects of the loss of Academic research and the loss of a regional membership structure for WCC. The combination of losses in the unhelpful context appear to have been innate defects for an organisation that elected to ignore the dramatic changes and carry on with "business as usual" and in that manner prepare for its own disintegration

The Quest for a Nordic Church Fellowship Challenged by the Formation of the Nordic Ecumenical Institute/ Council (MThesis)

In the 20th Century the Nordic region was often regarded as a politically, socially and ecclesiastically homogenous area. This was partly a conception formed by Archbishop Söderblom´s creating of a Nordic  Bishops´Council to coordinate actions and declarations by the Nordic Folk churches. The general ecumenical development during the 19th and 20th Centuries created a perceived need for a regional ecumenical organisation in the Nordic region to serve the emerging WCC. Mr Manfred Björkquist was the man who proposed the setting up of a Nordic Ecumenical Institute in Sigtuna, Sweden. His proposals were strongly critizised in particular by the Oslo Bishop, Eivind Berggrav. Bishop Berggrav managed to force Björkquist to give up his plans for academic research to be one of the objectives of the Nordic ecumenical Sigtuna Institute. In addition WCC elected to abandon the original planfor a regional membership structure for WCC. One may note a particular pattern for ecumenical impediments repeating itself. In the 19th Century intended church cooperation was made impossible in the Nordic region through political stress and theological controversy. Political stress during the 19th Century occurred when Denmark failed to muster Nordic support for a military take over of Schleswig. In the 20thCentury the 2nd World War created considerable political stress in the region. Theological controversy occurred in the 18th Century over the theology of Grundtvig and in the 20th Century over Episcopacy. Political stress and theological controversy created a non helpful context for the Nordic Ecumenical Institute after its formation in 1940. In that context the Institute had to handle the adverse effects of the loss of Academic research and the loss of a regional membership structure for WCC. The combination of losses in the unhelpful context appear to have been innate defects for an organisation that elected to ignore the dramatic changes and carry on with "business as usual" and in that manner prepare for its own disintegration

The Quest for a Nordic Church Fellowship Challenged by the Formation of the Nordic Ecumenical Institute/ Council (MThesis)

In the 20th Century the Nordic region was often regarded as a politically, socially and ecclesiastically homogenous area. This was partly a conception formed by Archbishop Söderblom´s creating of a Nordic  Bishops´Council to coordinate actions and declarations by the Nordic Folk churches. The general ecumenical development during the 19th and 20th Centuries created a perceived need for a regional ecumenical organisation in the Nordic region to serve the emerging WCC. Mr Manfred Björkquist was the man who proposed the setting up of a Nordic Ecumenical Institute in Sigtuna, Sweden. His proposals were strongly critizised in particular by the Oslo Bishop, Eivind Berggrav. Bishop Berggrav managed to force Björkquist to give up his plans for academic research to be one of the objectives of the Nordic ecumenical Sigtuna Institute. In addition WCC elected to abandon the original planfor a regional membership structure for WCC. One may note a particular pattern for ecumenical impediments repeating itself. In the 19th Century intended church cooperation was made impossible in the Nordic region through political stress and theological controversy. Political stress during the 19th Century occurred when Denmark failed to muster Nordic support for a military take over of Schleswig. In the 20thCentury the 2nd World War created considerable political stress in the region. Theological controversy occurred in the 18th Century over the theology of Grundtvig and in the 20th Century over Episcopacy. Political stress and theological controversy created a non helpful context for the Nordic Ecumenical Institute after its formation in 1940. In that context the Institute had to handle the adverse effects of the loss of Academic research and the loss of a regional membership structure for WCC. The combination of losses in the unhelpful context appear to have been innate defects for an organisation that elected to ignore the dramatic changes and carry on with "business as usual" and in that manner prepare for its own disintegration