Applying Charge Measurements to Papermaking, 2003 Spring Technical Conference Proceedings

Many measurement techniques exist among papermakers and chemical suppliers for determining the charge characteristics of fibers and chemical additives in papermaking. Unfortunately, there is not a universally accepted understanding of the differences among these techniques and a commonly accepted approach to interpreting the results. Often, electrokinetic techniques are applied inappropriately, and charge data is interpreted incorrectly.

This paper first reviews the most commonly accepted charge measurement concepts of electrophoresis, streaming potential, zeta potential and charge demand, then suggests appropriate application of each method to understanding the wet end chemistry of papermaking. For demonstration, we present application data from thorough wet end charge surveys of various paper machines. Data is shown from newsprint, fine paper, and board grade charge surveys. We offer constructive advice in applying the charge measurement methods and in interpreting the resulting charge data.