Application of High-Yield Pulps Into Wood-Free Coated Papers, 2003 Spring Technical Conference Proceedings

Papermakers are now facing the market demand for products with higher performance at a lower cost. This demand cannot be met by simply employing new papermaking technologies which normally require a substantial capital investment. An alternative cost-effective approach is more effectively utilizing the fibre characteristics of different furnishes. High-yield pulps (HYP) offer such cost-effective opportunities in achieving the desired end-use performance, particularly for traditional “wood-free” papers. Nowadays, HYP can be made in strength and brightness similar to bleached hardwood kraft pulp, but with other unique features such as high bulk, large surface areas and high fines content. These characteristics can be selectively used by papermakers to achieve the desired end-use performance. In this paper, we briefly review the new developments in HYP production and application, and then describe three case studies to show how the unique characteristics of HYP can be utilized to: 1) increase bending stiffness of lightweight coated wood-free paper to solve a fluting problem, 2) maintain good coating coverage and surface quality while reducing cost, and 3) develop a new coated grade with a higher bulk.