Pulp and paper

• Tissue, towel, napkin
• Coffee filter, milk carton
• Wet strength carrier board
• Poly-coated board
• Secondary fiber treatment

Oxone™ chemistry can be used to repulp various different paper types. Our standard repulping conditions are typically used to repulp many types of paper tissue, towel and napkin products. Due to the versatile nature of Oxone™ chemistry, it is possible to optimize repulping conditions for more challenging products. For example, liquid container boards, carrier boards, milk cartons, labels, corrugated liner board, unbleached paper or high PAE-content products.

• No chlorinated (AOX) compounds
• Efficient repulping
• Increased productivity
• High quality pulp
• High fiber yields
• No stainless steel corrosion
• Easier, safer handling
• Green Seal verification
• Reduces reliance on virgin fibers

Recent research published in TAPPI Journal by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology¹ demonstrated the impressive and selective repulping performance of Oxone™, and the resulting fiber quality characteristics. Oxone™ was found to be “superior to sodium hypochlorite in repulping of PAE-containing paper towel in terms of effectiveness and pulp quality.”

Independent research¹ demonstrated that Oxone™ provides more efficient repulping and improved fiber quality when compared to hypochlorite and caustic – only repulping. Oxone™ repulping produced high fiber yields with low rejects under recommended conditions. To achieve the same level of high fiber yields and low rejects with hypochlorite, under similar conditions of pH and temperature, a two-times higher dose of hypochlorite (on an oxidative equivalent basis) was required. This finding reflects the greater selectivity of Oxone™ chemistry versus hypochlorite with respect to debonding of wet-strength resin. Hypochlorite repulping under pH-neutral conditions at 30 °C, and alkaline repulping at 60 °C with caustic-only, failed to achieve similar fiber yields. The efficient fiber separation from Oxone™ repulping resulted in 14% lower energy consumption compared to repulping with caustic-only.

Compared to hypochlorite-repulped paper, hand sheets from Oxone™ repulping had significantly higher physical strength, as measured by tensile, burst, and tear indices in the study published in TAPPI journal¹.

Analysis of resultant fiber quality showed that using Oxone™ repulping aid produced a better quality furnish compared to both hypochlorite and caustic-only repulping. Specifically, pulp from Oxone™ repulping yielded 34-47% fewer fines and 24-31% longer average fiber length compared to all other repulping conditions tested.

1Yang, R. and Luettgen, C., Repulping of wet strength paper towel with potassium monopersulfate, TAPPI J. 19(9): 463(2020).

Oxone™ repulping aids offer fast and efficient removal of PAE resin. Other chemistries, including hydrogen peroxide, sodium percarbonate, sodium persulfate (SPS) and caustic soda, are kinetically slower, resulting in significantly longer cycle times.

Laboratory tests show that the rate of disintegration achieved in 30 minutes of repulping with Oxone™ could not be matched by sodium percarbonate, SPS or caustic soda, even after 90 minutes.

The benefits of optimising fiber disintegration by use of Oxone™ chemistry include increased throughput and reduced energy consumption.