Application of Enzymatic Technologies for Improving Product Quality, Mill

Efficiency and Production Cost Savings

Xiang Wang, Chengliang Jiang and Jianhua Ma
Enzymatic Deinking Technologies (EDT), LLC
Norcross, GA 30093

Abstract

Enzymatic technologies provide a natural solution for various problems encountered in the papermaking process.
The key to a successful enzyme application is the careful selection of the right enzymes for a mill’s specific furnish,
process conditions, and water chemistry. This paper will present recent advances in the utilization of enzyme
technologies to solve mill problems related to pitch and stickies, both in virgin and deinking processes. Examples
are provided to show the usefulness of new monitoring technologies in determining the performance of enzymes
under real conditions and their correlations with process chemistry including pH and concentrations of contaminants.
Mill results are provided to demonstrate the multiple benefits of improved product quality, mill efficiency, and cost-
savings in mechanical pulp-based paper mill applications of enzymes.

Introduction

Fiber and fiber-associated substances, the main constituents of paper products, are natural biodegradable materials.
Pulp and paper making processes involve selective chemical modifications of the fiber-based raw materials to
achieve certain physical and chemical properties that meet either the product quality requirement or the cost-
efficiency of production. As such, enzymatic technologies are a natural fit in the papermaking processes. Enzymes
are biocatalysts that accelerate biochemical reactions. A unique feature of enzymes is that each enzyme is active
only to its specific substrate [1]. For example, cellulase will only react with cellulose, while amylase only with
starch. Enzymes are quite specific, however, in that they differ by the mechanism of what they do to a substrate, the
conditions under which the action occurs (e.g., pH or temperature), and the rate at which the actions take place. By
virtue of the high specificity toward a substrate, enzymes can minimize or even eliminate many of the side effects
encountered with conventional chemical approaches. Therefore, a papermaker can select a specific enzyme to
modify only the substrate needed to gain the desirable effects and benefits.

However, as recently as a decade ago, the application of enzymes in the pulp and paper making processes was not
considered feasible due to the lack of enzyme application expertise, the “enzyme-unfriendly” process conditions in
many pulp and paper mills, and the high costs of enzyme products. In those years, enzymes could not perform well
due to the harsh nature of pulp and paper making applications. However, within the past decade, significant
progress has been made toward the development of more “robust” enzyme products. For example, since the first
successful applications of pitch control enzymes in Japan and China [2-4], the technology has been further refined
and enhanced to address higher temperatures, broader pH ranges, and a greater variety of tree species with higher
reaction efficiency with target substrates. The technology is now being applied successfully in mills around the
world to improve product quality, increase machine efficiency, reduce production cost, and meet stringent
environmental requirements. Practical experience has demonstrated that the key to successful enzyme application is
the selection of proper enzymes that not only meet the mill’s desired needs, but also function under specific process
conditions such as temperature, pH, and water chemistry. This paper will discuss recent progress in the application
of enzyme technologies for paper production using mechanical (wood-containing) pulp and recycled pulp.

Application of Enzymes in Graphic Paper Production

Wood-containing pulps are used in production of high quality graphic papers such as light-weight coated (LWC)
papers, super-calendared (SC) papers, and newsprint. LWC papers, by virtue of their low basis weight, are used
mainly for high-grade magazines and newspaper inserts, as well as for catalogs. These coated papers meet very high
requirements for brightness, surface finish, printability, and image reproduction. SC papers are used mainly for
magazines and newspaper inserts, as well as for catalogs. SC papers consist primarily of mechanical pulp, but also
chemical pulp and mineral fillers. These papers are generally subject to high demands on opacity, gloss and surface
quality for excellent image reproduction [5].

TAPPI/PIMA PaperCon’08 Conference, May 4-7 2008, Dallas, TX 1 of 10

Mechanical pulps are used in graphic paper production because of the advantages of high bulk and high opacity.
More importantly, mechanical pulps are much more cost effective than chemical pulps. For these reasons, it is
desirable to replace chemical pulps with less expensive mechanical pulps in the production of these papers. However,
mechanical pulps can have problems that would not be encountered with chemical pulps. The most common
problem with mechanical pulp is the high content of inherent contaminants, particularly wood pitch. Pitch includes
many problematic components, particularly resinous materials, which can constitute up to 5% of wood composition
depending on the tree species [6]. Pitch problems are created when wood extractives are released from wood and
fibers during the pulping process and further treatment of mechanical pulp. The presence of pitch in the stock and
white water complicates the wet end chemistry. Pitch tends to aggregate with other dissolved and colloidal
substances and process chemicals, forming deposits on paper machines and creating runnability and quality
problems.

Traditional methods to control pitch problems include natural seasoning of wood, chip aging before pulping, and use
of pitch control chemicals in the pulping and papermaking processes. Use of pitch control chemicals can be
ineffective, particularly when the pitch content is high, and can be viewed by some papermakers as an incomplete
solution which does not fundamentally address the source of the problem. The seasoning of wood and chip aging
leverage natural biochemical reactions to lower the wood extractives, however, this process is very slow and only
possible in warm weather. The aging process is not a total solution as it typically leads to low brightness which
requires extra bleach to attain the desired final sheet brightness.

An innovative enzyme technology has been developed for paper production using mechanical pulp. This approach
capitalizes on technical expertise in enzymology and extensive research and developmental work on enzyme
performance under various process conditions and with different tree species. The technology consists of (i) mill-
specific formulations of enzyme blends to serve varying mill conditions with high cost-efficacy, (ii) applications
tailored to mill processes and operating conditions, and (iii) patented pitch quantification methods that enable the
mill to tailor applications and monitor the performance of the enzyme treatment program [7]. The following sections
show some representative enzyme application results in wood-containing graphic paper production.

A. Improvement of Pulp and Paper Strength

Pitch, consisting of hydrophobic resinous substances, blocks fiber-fiber contacts and reduces hydrogen bond
formation. As a result, paper strength can be significantly reduced [8-10]. Traditionally, mills have tried to manage
this problem by increasing kraft usage and addition of strength chemicals. However, this approach is very cost
inefficient.

EDT has successfully applied its enzyme-based technology in solving pitch problems, trademarked as EnzOx®, to
improve pulp and paper strength in paper mills producing LWC, SC and newsprint products. Figure 1 compares the
TMP burst strength in a mechanical paper mill in the 12 months before and 12 months with the enzyme application.
It shows that on average, the enzyme treatment increased the TMP strength by about 15%.

TAPPI/PIMA PaperCon’08 Conference, May 4-7 2008, Dallas, TX 2 of 10

Figure 1: Increase of TMP Pulp Strength by Enzyme Treatment.
20
Before Enzyme Treatment
With Enzyme Treatment

19 18.9
18.7
18.6 18.6
18.4 18.4
18.3
TMP Pulp Burst Stength

18.0
18 17.9 17.8

17.4
17.2 17.2
17.1 17.0
17.0 16.9
17 16.9 16.8
16.7

16.1
16
15.5 15.6

15.1
15

14
Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep

Paper mills have utilized the above enzyme effects to reduce production costs in a number of ways. Several
newsprint mills have completely eliminated kraft pulp use. Some SC and LWC paper mills have reduced kraft use
and eliminated strength chemicals (e.g., starch) at the same time. Figure 2 shows a mill’s process with a significant
reduction of kraft use. In this case, the enzyme treatment was initially aimed at reducing pitch deposition on the
paper machine. Once achieving the initial objective, the mill was able to realize additional benefits from the enzyme
treatment by reducing kraft use. In some mills, after the elimination of kraft use, the extra strength gained from the
enzyme treatment allowed them to further reduce the TMP refining energy consumption. Through the enzyme
application, some mills have realized substantial production costs savings, totaling as much as $10 million per year.

Figure 2: Kraft Use Reduction before and with Enzyme Treatment in a Southern Mechanical Paper Mill.

16
15.3
Enzyme
Started Before Enzyme Treatment
14
With Enzyme Treatment
12.1
12
11.3
Kraft Usage, %

10
9.0

6.4
6.1
6
4.6
4
2.8
2

0
Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May

TAPPI/PIMA PaperCon’08 Conference, May 4-7 2008, Dallas, TX 3 of 10

B. Increase of Paper Friction

A high COF is important for both reel operation and press room performance for graphic papers. A low COF can
cause crepe wrinkles on the paper during rewinding, which reduces a mill’s operating efficiency, affects the printing
quality and causes breaks at the press rooms. Low COF paper itself also tends to have problems with the print image
quality on high speed printing press machines.

Pitch contaminants associated with mechanical pulp have strong lubrication effects. When they are absorbed or
deposited on the fiber surfaces, the coefficient of friction (COF) of the paper is severely reduced. Conventional pitch
control additives (such as talc and cationic fixatives) can worsen this problem by lowering the strength of the paper.

The traditional approach for combating this problem is to use minerals, including clays and synthetic silica, as
surface frictionizers to increase the surface COF of the paper [11]. Some mills use up to 5% (based on dry furnish
weight) of clay or 2% synthetic frictionizers to increase COF. This approach can be modestly effective when the
pitch level is low. However, when the total pitch content is high in winter seasons (or with some tree species on a
year-round basis), these measures are ineffective and very costly.

Figure 3: Kinetic COF of Paper vs. Pitch Content at the Headbox (pitch content was monitored daily using
APC™ Testing).

0.60

0.55
Kinetic Coefficient of Friction

0.50

0.45

0.40

0.35

0.30

0.25
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0

Headbox Stock Pitch Content, %

As demonstrated in Figure 3, by reducing the Apparent Pitch Content (APC™) [7], the enzyme treatment
significantly increases the paper COF. Many mills have experienced crepe wrinkle problems in the winter season, a
problem that was difficult to solve by conventional mechanical and chemical approaches. By applying the enzyme
program, mills have experienced the elimination of crepe wrinkle problems and improvement in their operating
efficiency (as shown in Figure 4 for a southern mechanical paper mill).

TAPPI/PIMA PaperCon’08 Conference, May 4-7 2008, Dallas, TX 4 of 10

Figure 4: Increase of Paper Machine Efficiency after Application of Enzyme Treatment in a Southern
Newsprint Mill.

94
Before Enzyme Treatment 92.2
92 With Enzyme Treatment
Paper Machine Efficiency, %

90
88.3
87.5
88

86
85.3 85.0
84.2
84

82

80

78
Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar

C. Improvement of Surface Properties, Coating and Printability of Paper

Pitch impairs fiber-fiber and fiber-mineral bonding. Due to the lack of flexibility, mechanical fibers tend to roughen
more than chemical fibers when a coating is applied. As a result, papers produced with high pitch content
mechanical pulps tend to have high porosity, low surface smoothness, and low sheet uniformity. Besides the quality
deterioration, operation problems such as dusting in reel operation and linting in press rooms can be created. When
such base sheets are used for LWC paper production, the coating performance and the final quality of LWC paper
are reduced.

An effective solution to this complicated problem requires the use of multiple enzymes--some to break down the
pitch components and some to modify the fiber surfaces. A delicate balance of each component needs to be
considered. Hence, the selection of the proper enzymes and the formulation of the final enzyme product are both a
science and somewhat of an experienced-based art. The development of effective mill-tailored products and
application technologies to prevent many of these problems in customer mills happened as a result of years of
research, enzyme expertise, and mill application knowledge.

TAPPI/PIMA PaperCon’08 Conference, May 4-7 2008, Dallas, TX 5 of 10

Figure 5: Reduction of Base Sheet Porosity by Enzyme Treatment in a Northern LWC Paper Mill.

50
45
45

40

35 33
Base Sheet Porosity

30

25

20

15

10

0
Before Enzyme Treatment After Enzyme Treatment

Figure 6: Improvement of LWC Paper Printability by Enzyme Treatment.

48

Helio mm/20 Front 45.3

46
Helio mm/20 Back
44
Helio Printability (mm/20)

42.1
42

40 39.4

38
37.2

36

34

32

30
Before Enzyme Treatment With Enzyme Treatment

TAPPI/PIMA PaperCon’08 Conference, May 4-7 2008, Dallas, TX 6 of 10

As shown in Figure 5, the enzyme treated papers have low porosity by breaking down the pitch and increased fiber-
fiber bonding, resulting in improved coating in LWC paper production. The final paper quality, as measured by
surface smoothness, printability, and strength, is substantially improved. Figure 6 gives an example of much
improved paper printability with enzyme treatment.

D. Improvement of Paper Machine Cleanness and Efficiency

Mechanical pulps made from pine trees are notorious for their pitch deposition problems. Southern mechanical
pulp-consuming paper mills have been battling pitch deposition problems for decades. There were few cost-
effective solutions until the development of enzyme treatment technologies. Unlike conventional chemical
treatments that only modify the physical or surface properties of pitch components, enzyme treatments
fundamentally change the chemical nature of the pitch compounds. In most cases, the enzymatic treatment alone can
satisfactorily solve the pitch deposition problems, eliminating conventional pitch additives. As shown in the
following graphs (Figures 7 and 8), the enzyme treatment maintains a clean paper machine system, reducing the
usage of continuous felt washing chemicals and the number of wash-ups of the paper machine. By reducing the
paper machine down time, the mill’s operating efficiency was improved.

Figure 7: Comparison of Felt Wash Chemical Usage (Daily Usage Averaged by Month) in the Months before
and after Enzyme Application Started.

3000

Before Enzyme Treatment

2500 With Enzyme Treatment

Total Felt Cleaner Usage

2000
(lbs./day)

1500

1000

500

0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

TAPPI/PIMA PaperCon’08 Conference, May 4-7 2008, Dallas, TX 7 of 10

Figure 8: Comparison of Monthly Paper Machine Shutdown Time for Wash-ups (Averaged on Quarterly
Basis) before and with Enzyme Application.

300
Before Enzyme Treatment
267
With Enzyme Treatment
248
250
237 229
PM Shutdown Washup Time

200
(min/month)

150

118
99
100
82

55
50

0
3rd Q 4th Q 1st Q 2nd Q

Application of Enzymes in Tissue Paper Production with Recycled Fiber

The use of recycled fiber for paper production has increased steadily in the last few decades due to more stringent
government regulations and increased environmental awareness of the public. One major and growing problem
associated with the use of recycled fiber is the contamination of stickies. As the demand for wastepaper increases,
the quality of recycled furnish declines. Mills have seen a substantial increase of stickies problems in production and
product quality, particularly in tissue production with 100% recycled fibers. This creates problems in machine
operation and can create even greater problems in tissue converting.

Conventional stickies control methods, such as the use of talc, cationic fixatives, and wire passivation chemicals, are
not sufficiently effective in solving stickies problems in the tissue paper making process. For example, wire
passivation chemicals only reduce the stickies deposition on the wire temporarily and may locally move the stickies
problems to the dryer section and the converting operation. Continuing stickies problems are leading drivers for the
increase in furnish costs for mills as they must seek cleaner and more costly furnish grades to maintain a smooth
production.

Novel enzyme-based products for applications in tissue and towel production using recycled fibers have been
developed. The enzyme-blend technology starts to treat the stickies particles during the pulping and deinking
process to enhance the de-tackification of stickies and enhance their removal through flotation, washing, and
cleaning stages. Enzymes are added to the stock system to modify stickies and to change their physical and
chemical properties, which leads to their greater subsequent removal and the reduction or elimination of stickies-
related problems in the papermaking and converting processes.

The tissue mill shown in this example uses 100% recycled fiber. It had been battling stickies problems on both the
paper machine and in the converting plant. Prior to enzyme application, the mill tried talc, stickies dispersants,
cationic fixatives, and wire passivation chemicals to address the stickies problems. However, none of the treatments

TAPPI/PIMA PaperCon’08 Conference, May 4-7 2008, Dallas, TX 8 of 10

worked effectively. The mill had to shut down the paper machines to wash the machines on multiple occasions
daily. The stickies also created issues in converting, causing holes and tissue breaks.

After years of trials with conventional chemical approaches, the mill considered the use of a tailored blend of
enzymes to solve its deinking and stickies problems. EDT’s Enzynk® and EnzAid® treatments were applied, which
led to the improvements shown in Figure 9. The mill experienced a 90% decrease in paper machine wash-ups from
23 times per week to just 2 per week (top chart). The maximum speed in converting was increased, which led to a
15% overall efficiency increase of the converting plant (bottom chart), as indicated by the increased number of
boxes of tissue produced per day.

Conclusions

The research and development work on enzymes over the past decade has resulted in breakthroughs in the successful
applications of enzyme treatments in pulp and paper production. This work has demonstrated that enzyme
technologies can provide viable solutions to the problems still plaguing mills after attempts with conventional
chemical approaches. The key to a successful enzyme application is the selection of proper enzymes for a mill’s
specific fiber or furnish, process conditions, and water chemistry. The combination of mill-tailored enzyme
products and application approaches enables mills to effectively solve a variety of problems, increase paper machine
efficiency, and improve product quality at substantially reduced production costs.

Figure 9: Comparison of the Total Number of Paper Machine Stops for Wash-ups, Maximum Operating
Speed in Converting, and Total Number of Boxes of Final Product Produced per Day before and
with Enzyme Blend Application.
25 1650

Maximum Converting Speed (ft/min)

1623
21 WashUps
20 Maximum Speed
PM Washup, No./Week

1600

15

1550

10 1521

1500
5
2

0 1450
Before Enzyme Treatment With Enzyme Treatment
2500

2343
Tissue Converting (Boxes/Day)

2300

2100
2005

1900

1700

1500
Before Enzyme Treatment With Enzyme Treatment

TAPPI/PIMA PaperCon’08 Conference, May 4-7 2008, Dallas, TX 9 of 10

References

1. Stryer, L., Biochemistry, 4th ed., W.H. Freeman & Company, New York, 1995, pp. 1-312.
2. Irie, Y., Matsukura, M., Usui, M., and Hata, K., Enzymatic pitch control in papermaking system, In
Proceedings of 1990 Papermaker conference, TAPPI, Atlanta, Georgia, US, 1990, pp. 1-10
3. Fujita, Y., H. Awaji, H. Taneda, M. Matsukura, K. Hata, H. Shimoto, M. Sharyo, H. Sakaguchi and K.
Gibson., Recent advances in enzymatic pitch control. Tappi J. 75:117-122, 1992
4. Chen, S., Lin, Y., Zhang, Y., Wang, X. H. and Yang, J. L., Enzymatic pitch control at Nanping paper mill,
TAPPI J., 84(4): 44-47, 2001
5. Casey, J.P., Pulp and Paper Chemistry & Chemical Technology, 3rd. Ed., John Wiley &Sons, Inc., Vol. I,
1981
6. Back, E.L. and Allen, L.H., Pitch Control, Wood Resin and Deresination. TAPPI Press, 2000. 392 pp.
7. Wang, X. H. and Jiang, C., Practical experience with enzymatic pitch control in mechanical pulping
progresses, In proceedings of the 2003 International Mechanical Pulping Conference, Quebec, Canada,
June 2-5, 2003
8. Rundlöf, M., Sjölund, A-K., Ström, H., And Asell, I., The Effect Of Dissolved And Colloidal Substances
Released From TMP On The Properties Of TMP Fines, Nordic Pulp Paper Res. J. 15(4): 256-265, 2000
9. Brandal, J., And Lindheim, A., “The Influence Of Extractives In Groudwood Pulp On Fibre Bonding”,
Pulp Paper Magazine Canada, T-432-T-435, October (1966).
10. Sundberg, A., Holmbom, B., Willför, S., Pranovich, A., “Weakening Of Paper Strength By Wood Resin”,
Nordic Pulp Paper Res. J. 15(1): 46-53 (2000).
11. Emmanuel, A. and Collins, N.J., Paper mill fractioning trials using chemical additives to increase layer to
layer coefficient of friction, Appita J. 48(2):129-133, 1995

TAPPI/PIMA PaperCon’08 Conference, May 4-7 2008, Dallas, TX 10 of 10

Application of Enzymatic Technologies for
Improving Product Quality, Mill Efficiency
and Production Cost Saving

May 2008
 Presentation Outline

¾ Fundamentals of enzyme technologies

¾ Enzyme application in graphic paper

production

¾ Enzyme application in solving stickies

problems in paper recycling
 Presentation Outline

¾ Fundamentals of enzyme technologies

• Enzyme overview
• Enzymes offer natural solutions to pulp and paper
industry
• Development process of mill-tailored enzyme
products
 What Are Enzymes?
• Functional proteins with 3-D
structure made of amino
acids in chains
• Biological catalysts
• Specific affinities towards
substrates
• Fermentation products
• Safe to handle
• Fully biodegradable
An example of lipase structure
 The Importance of Enzymes
• Enzymes are everywhere in nature and touch our
daily lives
• Our body functions
• Textile and detergent industries
• Food industry
• Medicine

• Enzymes offer natural solutions to problems in the

pulp and paper industry
• Enzymatic deinking of recycled papers
• Enzymatic pitch deposit control
• Enzymatic stickies deposit control
• Enzymatic fiber modification
• Enzymatic bleach boosting
Wood Fiber Compositions
• Carbohydrates
– Cellulose
– Hemicelluloses
• Lignin
• Extractive
– Triglycerides
– Resin acids
– Fatty acids
– Sterols
– Sterol esters
– Terpenes
– Phenols
 Mechanism of Enzyme Actions

k1 k2
k-1

Enzyme Substrate Enzyme-Substrate Enzyme Products

Complex
Factors Affecting Enzyme Application
in Pulp and Paper Mills
• Raw materials
– Tree species, aging, and cutting seasons
– Types of recycled furnishes

• Process conditions
– pH
– Temperatures
– Process chemistries
– Mixing and reaction time
– Process equipment

• Enzyme performance monitoring tools

– How well are the enzymes performing?
– How to optimize the enzyme’s performance?
 Mill Process Analysis and EDT EnzOx®
Enzyme Development Process
Develop mill
Understand Analyze mill treatment Conduct
mill situation performance and validate mill-scale trial
improvement

- tree species - stock and water - enzyme - mill-scale

- chip sourcing pitch level formulation validation
analysis - application - ongoing
- process flow
- final paper conditions optimization
- conditions qualities - controlled
- current treatments assessment vs.
- desired control
improvements
 Presentation Outline

¾ Enzyme application in graphic paper

production
• Furnishes and problems in graphic paper
production
• Application examples of enzymes
Enzyme Substrates in Paper Furnishes
• Fibers
– Cellulose

• Polysaccharides and hemicelluloses

– Starch
– Xylan/mannan
– Fiber cell walls

• Wood extractives
– TGs, DGs
– Fatty acids and resin acids
– Others

• Recycled fiber contaminants

– Ink components
– Adhesives
Effects of Pitch on Paper Sheet Properties
Fiber
Fiber
Pitch Heat
Particles Pressure
Fiber
Fiber

- Decreased the number of bonds

- Reduced web consolidation
-Reduced sheet formation
-Reduced sheet friction
Problems Resulting from Mechanical Pitch

Symptom-Based Problems Effect-Based Problems

“Traditional Diagnosis” “Enzymatic Diagnosis”
– deposits – strength loss
– holes – low COF
– felt-filling – linting/dusting
– paper breaks – creping
– pitch spots – high energy consumption
– log/chip aging
 TMP Fibers and Pitch Particles
• TMP fibers
– Lignin intact
– Shorter fibers and large
amount of fines

• Organic pitch particles

– Colloidal and agglomerated
particles
• Tacky, translucent, irregular
shapes with no textures
– Most attached to fiber
surfaces
Blowline stock from a TMP plant
Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Triglyceride

CH2–O —C —R1 CH2—OH R1COOH

O
Hydrolysis
CH—O —C —R2 + 3H2O CH—OH + R2COOH
O Enzymes

CH2–O —C —R3 CH2—OH R3COOH

Triglyceride Glycerol Free Fatty

Acids
Pictures of WW Filter Cakes (0.5 μm filter)
Mechanism 1: Enzyme Treatment Eliminated Pitch-Bound Colored Trash

Untreated Enzyme Treated

 Presentation Outline

¾ Enzyme application in graphic paper

production
• Furnishes and problems in graphic paper production
• Application examples of enzymes
9 Improved pulp and paper strength and reduced kraft usage
9 Increased paper friction and prevention of crepe wrinkles
9 Cleaner paper machine, reduced downtime, and reduced felt
cleaner usage
9 Improved paper printability
 Improvement of Pulp Strength
Using Enzymes
20
Before Enzyme With Enzyme

19 18.9
18.7
18.6 18.6
18.4 18.4
18.3
TMP Pulp Burst Stength

18.0
18 17.9 17.8

17.4
17.2 17.2
17.1
17.0
17.0 16.9
17 16.9
16.7
16.8

16.1
16
15.5 15.6

15.1
15

14
Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep
 Kraft Usage Reduction
Using Enzymes
18
Before Enzyme
16 With Enzyme

14
Kraft Usage, %

12

10

0
Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May
 Presentation Outline

¾ Enzyme application in graphic paper

production
• Furnishes and problems in graphic paper production
• Application examples of enzymes
9 Improved pulp and paper strength and reduced kraft usage
9 Increased paper friction and prevention of crepe wrinkles
9 Cleaner paper machine, reduced downtime, and reduced felt
cleaner usage
9 Improved paper printability
 Increased Paper Friction
Using Enzymes
0.60

0.55
Kinetic Coefficient of Friction

0.50

0.45

0.40

0.35

0.30

0.25
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0
Headbox Stock Pitch Content, %
 Presentation Outline

¾ Enzyme application in graphic paper

production
• Furnishes and problems in graphic paper production
• Application examples of enzymes
9 Improved pulp and paper strength and reduced kraft usage
9 Increased paper friction and prevention of crepe wrinkles
9 Cleaner paper machine, reduced downtime, and reduced felt
cleaner usage
9 Improved paper printability
Effects of Enzymes on Pitch Deposition
3.0
Pickup Ubox Enzyme Started

2.5
2nd Press
Pitch Deposit Level (lbs/ day)

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0

9
12

14

16

18

20

22

24

26

28

30

4/

4/

4/

4/
4/
3/

3/

3/

3/

3/

3/

3/

3/

3/

3/

Date
 Felt Soap Usage Reduction
Using Enzymes
3000
Before Enzyme
With Enzyme
2500
Total Felt Cleaner Usage, lbs/day

2000

1500

1000

500

0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Reduced Shutdown and Wash-up Time
Using Enzymes
300
267
Before Enzyme With Enzyme

248
250 237
229
PM Shutdown Washup Time

200
(min/month)

150
118

99
100
82

55
50

0
3rd Q 4th Q 1st Q 2nd Q
 Improvement of Paper Machine
94
Efficiency Using Enzymes
Before Enzyme 92.2
92
With Enzyme
Paper Machine Efficiency, %

90
Enzyme
Started 88.3
88 87.5

86 85.3
85.0
84.2
84

82

80

78
Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar
 Presentation Outline

¾ Enzyme application in graphic paper

production
• Furnishes and problems in graphic paper production
• Application examples of enzymes
9 Improved pulp and paper strength and reduced kraft usage
9 Increased paper friction and prevention of crepe wrinkles
9 Cleaner paper machine, reduced downtime, and reduced felt
cleaner usage
9 Improved paper printability
 Improved Porosity for LWC Paper
Using Enzymes
50
45
45

40
Base Sheet Porosity

35 33

30

25

20

15

10

Before Enzyme After Enzyme

 Better Printability for LWC Paper
Using Enzymes
48
Helio mm/20 Front
46 Helio mm/20 Back 45.3

44
Helio Printability (mm/20)

42.1
42

40 39.4

38 37.2

36

34

32

30
Before Enzyme After Enzyme
 Presentation Outline

¾ Enzyme application in solving stickies

problems in paper recycling
• Recycled paper and stickies problems
• Application examples of enzymes
 Recycled Stickies Contamination
Stickies contamination Conventional solutions
– Increased contamination – Minerals
• Felt filling • Talc
• Deposit on PM • Clays
• Frequent PM shutdowns – Dispersants
• Holes in paper or tissue
– Cationic polymer fixatives
– Increased fiber hornification
– Continuously wire
• Low strength, paper break
passivation chemicals
• Dusting/linting at
converting plant – Frequent felt/wire wash up
– Increased production cost
Stickies Deposit at a Recycling Paper Mill

100 µm

Properties of stickies Chemical compositions

• Variable sizes in all shapes • Synthetic components

with no textures
– Hot melts, ink residues, wet
• Clear to opaque strength chemicals and SBR,
PBD, PE, etc.
• Tacky and hard to remove
• Natural components
• TG/Temp
– Mechanical and chemical
• Reactivity/pH pitch from wastepaper
 Presentation Outline

¾ Enzyme application in solving stickies

problems in paper recycling
• Recycled paper and stickies problems
• Application examples of enzymes
Enzynk® Treatment Cleaned PM and
Increased Tissue Converting
25 1650

Max Converting Speed (ft/min)

21 1623
WashUps
20
Maximum Speed
PM Washup, No./Week
1600

15
1550
10 1521

1500
5
2

0 1450
Before Enzyme With Enzyme

2500
Tissue Converting (Boxes/Day)

2343
2300

2100 2005

1900

1700

1500
Before Enzyme With Enzyme
 Conclusions
¾ Enzymes Provide Natural Solutions to Pulp and Paper
Production
• Improve pulp and paper strength and reduce high cost furnish
usage
• Improve paper surface properties such as friction and printability
• Clean paper machine and reduce chemical usages
• Improve stickies removal and use of low cost recycled paper
• Improve paper machine efficiency
• Reduce total paper production cost
¾ Environmental benefits
• Reduce pollution
• Provide better working environment
• Reduce energy consumption
• Assist in reaching mill sustainability goals
Thank you…

Questions?