IMPROVING THE STRENGTH PROPERTIES OF MECHANICAL PULPS

HIGH QUALITY PAPER, E.G., MAGAZINE PAPER, ACCOUNTS FOR MILLIONS OF TONS OF PRODUCT PER YEAR. A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THIS PAPER CONSISTS OF MECHANICAL PULP WHICH HAS CHARACTERISTICALLY WEAK FIBER STRENGTH. NEWER PAPER MACHINES AND PRINTERS DEMAND INCREASINGLY STRONGER PULP WHICH IS LEADING TO STRONGER CHEMICAL (KRAFT) PULP DISPLACING WEAKER BUT LESS ENVIRONMENTALLY INTRUSIVE MECHANICAL PULP. CHEMICAL (KRAFT) PULP IS MORE COSTLY THAN MECHANICAL PULP AND CHEMICAL PULP PLANTS ARE PLAGUED WITH POLLUTION PROBLEMS. THE PLANTS EMIT NOXIOUS SULFUR CONTAINING GASES. KRAFT PLANTS CAN ALSO DISCHARGE CHLORINATED HYDROCARBONS INTO RECEIVING BODIES OF WATER, WITH UNKNOWN CONSEQUENCES FOR DOWNSTREAM COMMUNITIES AND FOR THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT. THIS PROJECT ADVOCATES AN ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE METHOD FOR MINIMALLY TREATING MECHANICAL PULP TO ACHIEVE GREATER FIBER STRENGTH. MODIFIED MECHANICAL PULP WILL BE MORE SUITABLE FOR PUBLICATION GRADE PAPER, REVERSING A TREND TOWARD CHEMICAL PULP SUBSTITUTION. REDUCED DEMAND FOR CHEMICAL PULP WILL PROPORTIONATELY REDUCE THE DELETERIOUS IMPACT OF CHEMICAL PULPING ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE ENVIRONMENT. LOWER COSTS FOR PUBLICATION PAPER WILL ALLOW U.S. MANUFACTURERS TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE IN WORLD MARKETS WITHOUT SACRIFICING THE QUALITY OF LIFE SOUGHT IN MODERN AMERICA.