Paper Technology International 2020 - Journal - Page 95

PAPERTECHNOLOGYINTERNATIONAL
The Challenges of Bamboo
Higher levels of contaminants
and fines can cause problems for
tissue makers if operational changes
are not made. Contaminants and
fines will make Yankee coating
harder and abrasive, resulting in an
increasingly dusty process. Without
adjusting the coating program and/or
using a fines management program
to compensate, these conditions will
reduce sheet softness and hand feel,
decrease runnability and increase
doctor blade changes.
The Benefits of Bamboo
Bamboo is by far today’s top source of non-wood pulps.
Among consumers, interest in bamboo as an alternative fiber has
gained support for several reasons:
•
Customers view products made from plants other
than trees as a more environmentally sound option
compared to wood. This concept has been reinforced
by the fast growth rates of plants with a higher pulp
yield, such as bamboo.
•
Bamboo is harvested by cutting the stalk but leaving the
root intact, which can reduce deforestation.
•
Bamboo captures more carbon dioxide and releases
more oxygen while requiring less maintenance than
trees.
•
In areas where forestry options are limited, bamboo
and other non-wood products offer a viable option as a
fiber source.
For pulp manufacturers, bamboo is the easiest non-wood
fiber to pulp, allowing for conventional chippers and similar cooking
conditions to hardwood, which enables the fiber to be used in
conventional continuous digesters.
Papermakers using bamboo see tensile strength values somewhere
between hardwood and softwood pulps, but bamboo delivers
significantly higher burst and tear results. The use of bamboo
has become more common in producing soft tissue where fiber
morphology, particularly fiber width and coarseness, helps with
softness.
The table below illustrates the similarities and differences in
fiber properties for traditional wood fibers and bamboo. Levels of
contaminants, such as ash, silica, extractives, and fines content,
are notably higher in bamboo and require proper management of
mechanical refining and chemical treatment programs.
Mills that purchase bamboo
in market pulp form should experience fewer issues when
compared to integrated mills, since pulp drying will remove some
contaminants. Also, tissue makers will likely need to adjust their
chemical programs to achieve operational and sustainability goals.
Silica control additives for use in the pulp mill, updated Yankee
coating technologies, deposit control solutions and fines control
programs will all help increase uptime and reduce defects. Working
with a chemical supplier that has extensive experience in the tissue
and towel market can help customers meet challenging quality
and operational performance requirements using innovative AI
technologies and products for creping, wet strength, dry strength,
softness and machine cleanliness.
Figure 1: Higher levels of
contaminants and fines can cause
problems for tissue makers if
operational changes are not made.
Working with a chemical supplier
that has extensive experience in
the tissue and towel production can
help meet quality and operational
performance requirements using innovative AI technologies and
products for creping, wet strength, dry strength, softness and machine
cleanliness.
Figure 2: For pulp
manufacturers,
bamboo is the
easiest nonwood fiber to
pulp, allowing
for conventional
chippers and
similar cooking
conditions to
hardwood, which
enables the fiber
to be used in conventional continuous digesters.
Author: Kelly Buchheit is Global Marketing
Director for Tissue and Towel at Solenis,
where she has enjoyed a 25-year career in
roles ranging from commercial sales and
corporate account management to business
development and product management. She
is highly collaborative and globally focused
on developing innovative and sustainable
solutions for customers.
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