Porosity of swollen pulp fibers revisited

That the dry nonporous cellulosic fibers interact strongly with water and become porous during swelling is a well known yet not well understood phenomenon. The quoted pore volume, pore size and pore size distribution vary considerably depending on the method used, and the interpretation of the data. A critical review of the available information leads to a conclusion that contrary to the general view, the pore volume is smaller, and the size of pores is larger and rather uniform.