Refining Characteristics of Globally Produced Softwood Kraft Pulps, 2001 Papermakers Conference Proceedings

"A paper pulp has no general suitability or applicability, but it can be evaluated only in regard to its use as a component of the furnish for a certain grade of paper or board, and strictly speaking also in regard to a certain manufacturing process. To be of practical interest, the evaluation of a pulp always involves a comparison of a realistic alternative, i.e. with a pulp which is known to give an acceptable quality of product when used as the same component of the furnish."

All plant fibres can be used to produce paper. Problems are encountered when the paper has to comply with certain specifications and be cost and quality competitive. Under such circumstances the types and costs of pulps used in paper furnishes become very critical. In the current extremely competitive papermaking climate, selecting the most suitable pulp for a product is essential in order to secure customer satisfaction while reducing costs.

Traditionally the role of the Kraft softwood pulp in numerous paper grades was merely to act as a carrier

fibre and the hardwood component was responsible for imparting the formation attributes. In today’s competitive milieu, in addition to having strength, the Kraft softwood component must refine easily, must have the propensity to contribute to enhance formation, and should impart the appropriate optical properties.