O PAPEL vol. 84, N.o 1, pp. 66 - 69 - JAN 2023
POLYMERIC PULP MILL PROCESSING AIDS FOR
ENHANCING PULP WASHING APPLICATIONS IN
SPECIALTY PAPER MARKETS
Authors: Rafael Bortolan1
, Luciana Bava2
1 Kemira Chemicals Brazil
2 Kemira Chemicals North America
ABSTRACT
Recent advances have been made in a new polymeric
processing aid technology primarily for pulp mill applications.
This polymeric technology leads to improved pulp washing and
cleanliness, and overall pulp mill operation. The formulated
product contains an acrylate polymer as the primary active
ingredient and minimizes or eliminates other traditional defoamer
components. The study presented in this paper adopts an integral
approach by evaluating the new chemistry as a pulp mill process
aid rather than solely a defoamer. This polymer-based technology
is proven to have significant advantages, including control of
pulp mill foam, reduction in dirt and pitch, facilitation of cold
startups, increased washing efficiency, and reduced bleaching
costs. Product optimization through systematic laboratory testing,
and its validation in field applications for over three years are
discussed in this paper. Highlighted field studies illustrate how
this new technology can be used to reduce operational costs and
improve pulp quality. Examples are drawn from several pulp mills
in the Americas and Europe producing market, specialty, and
dissolving pulp grades.
Keywords: defoamer; processing aids; eucalyptus; kraft
pulping