Differentiating between Microbiological and Wet Strength Resin-Driven Runnability Issues in Tissue and Towel Grades, TAPPICon22

Although microorganisms are contaminants and wet strength resins are additives in the papermaking process, they each possess a dominant polyamide-based structural component. This commonality makes rapid identification of one versus the other in deposit and defect samples quite difficult even when using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, the standard initial analysis tool used in virtually all laboratories. The difficulty in determining the true deposition “trigger” is further compounded when both materials are present within a sample. This paper discusses how the combination of microscopic analysis and pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (Py-GC/MS) can more precisely determine whether microbiological activity or wet strength resins are causing the observed deposition. Several mill case studies exemplify how using the synergistic combination of these two analytical techniques to effectively differentiate between these two structurally similar materials enables paper makers to prescribe the proper corrective action to resolve their runnability issues. 

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