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Journal articles
Reducing aox by increasing oxidation potential in the first caustic extraction stage, TAPPI Journal December 2024
Authors: Peter W. Hart and Jeffrey S. Hsieh | Tappi J. 74(11): 117(1991) - ABSTRACT: An increase in the standard oxidation potential of the reinforcing agent in the first caustic extraction stage will reduce the amount of AOX in the stage's effluent. A chlorinated broumstock pulp was treated alternatively in a basic caustic extraction (E) stage, an oxygen-reinforced caustic extraction (EO) stage, and an extraction stage reinforced with oxygen and peroxide (EOP). An AOX reduction of up to 30% was obtained in the effluent from the peroxide-reinforced extraction stage. In addition to the brownstock work, using two different model lignin compounds, we ran tests using oxyen, potassium permanganate, hydrogen peroxide with oxygen, and ozone with oxygen-reinforced caustic stages. In all cases, increasing the oxidation potential of the reinforcing agent decreased the amount of AOX detected in the effluent.
Journal articles
Magazine articles
Editorial: Shaping industry and career success with TAPPI Standards involvement, TAPPI Journal May 2023
ABSTRACT: Within TAPPI, there are many ways to help advance our industry and make sure it thrives for years to come. Writing a research paper for publication or acting as peer reviewer for TAPPI Journal, presenting at a conference or helping to organize one, and becoming involved in the many committees that are part of TAPPI Divisions are just some of the ways. One other very important way to contribute to our industry is through the standards development process.
Journal articles
Dynamic modeling, efficiency analysis, and hierarchical control of industrial airborne pulp dryers, TAPPI Journal October 2026
ABSTRACT: Industrial airborne pulp drying is governed by strongly coupled moisture transport, heat transfer, psychrometric behavior, airflow distribution, pressure dynamics, and fan operation. A nonlinear multi-zone dynamic model was formulated to represent these interactions through coupled mass and energy balances, pressure-driven deck-to-deck airflow, centrifugal-fan dynamics, and through-thickness moisture and temperature transport. Overall and thermal efficiencies, specific energy consumption, and specific moisture evaporation ratio (SMER) were incorporated for energetic assessment. A hierarchical direct synthesis methodology (DSM), comprising moisture–temperature and airflow–fan speed cascade loops with chamber-pressure regulation, was evaluated against proportionalintegral- derivative (PID) control and model predictive control (MPC) benchmarks. The MATLAB simulations of a six-zone dryer predicted progressive moisture reduction toward 0.120 kg H2O/kg dry pulp, overall efficiency near 0.60, thermal efficiency near 0.61, and SMER of approximately 0.95-0.96 kg H2O/kWh. The DSM provided the lowest accumulated moisture-tracking error and smooth control action, while PID control gave comparable fast loop regulation. The current MPC implementation exhibited poorer moisture–thermal tracking, indicating the need for further predictive model refinement and systematic tuning. The formulation provides a controloriented basis for subsequent parameter identification and industrial validation.
Journal articles
Copper-embedded polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH)-based antimicrobial and biodegradable coating for food packaging applications, TAPPI Journal October 2026
ABSTRACT: The food packaging industry increasingly seeks multifunctional, bio-based materials that ensure product safety while supporting strict municipal environmental sustainability goals. This research addresses functional limitations in compostable packaging by developing a polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH)-based antimicrobial and biodegradable coating through precise incorporation of active copper ions. Copper ions were incorporated into a 20% solids-content PVOH matrix at target concentrations of 100, 500, and 1,000 ppm, then applied to paper and polylactic acid (PLA) bioplastic substrates at a target coating weight of 6 g/m². Antimicrobial testing against Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. using a bacterial overlay agar method demonstrated robust, localized microbial inhibition zones that increased with copper concentration. Biodegradability and industrial compostability were assessed under controlled conditions over 49 days in accordance with ASTM D5338 and ASTM D6400. Uncoated butcher paper controls exhibited 71.90% biodegradation, whereas copper-embedded PVOH-coated paper achieved 83.59%, conclusively demonstrating that integrated metallic ions did not hinder or delay natural macromolecular decomposition. Scanning electron microscopy and elemental analysis verified uniform coating distribution and stable copper dispersion across all treated surfaces. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed minor, predictable modifications to polymer crystallization kinetics without altering macrostructural film integrity. Barrier evaluations (ASTM F1249 and ASTM D3985) confirmed a substantial, highly significant reduction in oxygen transmission rates, whereas the reduction in water vapor transmission rates was not statistically significant due to PVOH’s inherently hydrophilic nature. These findings demonstrate that copper-embedded PVOH coatings provide a highly effective, active antimicrobial defense system while remaining completely compatible with commercial, sustainable industrial composting loops.
Journal articles
Nonlinear modeling of batch digester discharge dynamics with rheology-driven hydraulic transport and drainability coupling, TAPPI Journal September 2026
ABSTRACT: Batch digester blowdown constitutes a strongly nonlinear transient transport process governed by the coupled evolution of pulp consistency, slurry density, hydraulic resistance, liquid inventory, and discharge line dynamics. A control-oriented nonlinear formulation is developed by coupling dry fiber and free liquor mass balances with phase volume reconstruction, consistency-dependent hydraulic resistance, channeling and drainability effects, and a power law head flow relationship derived within a lumped hydraulic inertance framework. A fixed-gain PI con troller obtained from local linearization is employed as the conventional benchmark, whereas an integral sliding mode controller (SMC) explicitly compensates the nonlinear time-varying hydraulic structure and bounded disturbances. Both strategies are evaluated under identical actuator constraints and sequential perturbations involving oppos ing head, hydraulic resistance, channeling, drainability, and dilution. Numerical results demonstrate lower root mean-square error, integral absolute error, and peak flow-tracking error for the SMC, with rapid recovery toward the prescribed sliding boundary layer and improved robustness to variations in the nonlinear flow exponent n. Cumulative electrical energy and batch-specific specific energy consumption remain comparatively similar, indicat ing that the principal SMC benefit is enhanced hydraulic regulation rather than substantial batch energy reduction. Specific energy consumption is an established metric for energetic assessment of slurry transport. Model-based hydraulic demand, electrical power, and sliding manifold surfaces further characterize the nonlinear operating domain. The resulting framework provides a computational proof-of-concept for modeling and control of transient batch digester discharge systems.
Journal articles
A systems approach for process debottlenecking towards a sustainable pulp and paper industry, TAPPI Journal April 2026
ABSTRACT: Increasing the competitiveness of the pulp and paper industry requires an effective optimization of its existing assets in line with a long-term vision for process transformation, production upgrade, and product diversification. Currently, pulp production increase is one of the main sources of additional revenue for the kraft industry. Likewise, energy efficiency is often employed as a cost-effective approach to reduce operating costs, enhancing the possibilities to lower fossil fuel consumption and contributing to a low-carbon economy. On the other hand, reaching higher production targets and facilitating process transformation, such as biorefinery implementation, heavily depend on the status and performance of a mill’s current infrastructure; therefore, a system analysis is needed to assess the new production requirements, the bottlenecks, and the interactions across departments. In order to obtain practical improvement solutions, direct and indirect impacts on process performance and resource utilization should be considered. This work provides an overview of the key challenges that need to be addressed for production increase and energy efficiency improvement. The methodology starts by a scope analysis for debottlenecking and screening capacity limitations vs. mill targets, followed by their ranking (bottleneck ranking diagram). Benchmarking, gap analysis, and root-cause techniques are applied to diagnose system inefficiencies. This mill-wide debottlenecking assessment is then used to guide the selection of a long-term sustainable operation and design a portfolio of improvement projects by avoiding cross effects of the short-term projects on the long term. A case study of a kraft pulp mill is used to illustrate the proposed methodology.
Journal articles
Pre-damping effects on water absorption and drying dynamics in flexographic printing, TAPPI Journal November 2025
ABSTRACT: Optimizing flexographic printability can involve the ink and the substrate, as well as the printing process. It has been widely reported in the literature that controlling topography of the substrate and its porosity are vital for good flexographic printability, especially when using water-based inks. This study focuses on how pre-damping a surface impacts liquid absorption and improves wet trapping (ink on ink with no intermediate drying) in flexographic printing. A Prüfbau universal print tester was adapted to analyze flexographic wet-on-wet ink printing and trapping using yellow and magenta inks for contrast. Slow drying of the first ink layer (yellow) leads to mottle when the second layer (magenta) is applied. The study explores the “wet sponge” hypothesis: a pre-damped surface should absorb liquid faster. The Lucas- Washburn equation describes long-term absorption, but it does not capture short-term uptake, which instead follows a linear dependence on time.
The effect of pulp screening on oxygen delignification of high lignin content pulps, TAPPI Journal October 2025
Application: Yield can be improved and energy demand reduced in the kraft pulping process by terminating cooking at a high kappa number and applying oxygen delignification directly to unscreened pulp. This study demonstrates that oxygen delignification is effective on high-lignin-content pulps without prior screening and without compromising the pulp properties.
Journal articles
Effects of biopolymer coatings on paper permeability and capillarity for paper-based rapid diagnostic test devices, TAPPI Journal September 2025
ABSTRACT: Rapid diagnostic test (RDT) devices are widely used for diagnostics due to their affordability, portability, and user-friendliness. However, conventional assays typically rely on nitrocellulose membranes and plastic casings. These materials raise environmental concerns due to their non-renewable nature, energy-intensive production methods, and poor biodegradability. This study explores the development of fully bio-based RDT substrates using a sustainable alternative: softwoodderived microfibrillated cellulose (MFC), cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), and chitosan as surface modifiers to improve paper properties and enhance RDT sustainability. Cotton filter paper substrates were coated with different biopolymer formulations using a manual blade coater: bleached MFC (BMFC), lignin-containing MFC (LMFC), BMFC combined with CNC, LMFC combined with CNC, and chitosan. Evaluation of the most relevant physical properties concerning RDT performance was conducted, including wetting, water retention value, air permeability, capillary flow rate, and surface morphology. Results showed that biopolymer- based coatings can effectively modify surface properties by reducing pore size and tuning hydrophilicity, while maintaining the renewable and bio-based characteristics of the substrate. The LMFC-coated paper exhibited the best overall performance among all formulations, reducing flow time by 50% (3.00 mm/s vs. 1.5 mm/s) compared to the uncoated paper, yet preserving high water retention. The BMFC+CNC coating also significantly improved flow rate, showing a 36.7% reduction (2.37 mm/s vs. 1.5 mm/s), and enhanced porosity uniformity. In contrast, the flow rate of chitosan-coated paper decreased by over 5,000% (0.027 mm/s), reflecting its strong barrier properties and hydrophobic surface (highest contact angle: 91.4°). These findings suggest that MFC-based coatings are promising ecofriendly alternatives to nitrocellulose, offering optimized capillary transport and structural adaptability. This paves the way for the development of sustainable, high-performance, rapid diagnostic tests.
Journal articles
In-situ process monitoring in deep-drawing of paper using partially transparent tools, TAPPI Journal August 2025
ABSTRACT: The production of three-dimensionally formed packaging from paper by deep drawing usually leads to the occurrence of wrinkles, which result from the high tangential compressive stresses in the flange area and the limited flowability of the material. Wrinkles, although mostly tolerated in industry, end in both a reduced visual appearance and a reduction in usability for packaging, as with, for example, when gas-tightness is required. Previous research efforts have been limited to determining the wrinkle distribution after completion of forming and removal of the formed part. Consequently, the possibility of understanding the sequence of formation of individual wrinkles in the inhomogeneous material is lost. To remedy this situation, a method for local in-situ process monitoring is presented. Using a transparent die and an industrial camera, the flange area can be observed during the forming process. An image processing algorithm is applied to analyze the local development of the deep drawing process from the continuously recorded image data. The method described can be used to analyze the draw-in behavior and wrinkle formation locally and continuously over the drawing depth. The blank holder force influences the draw-in and the wrinkle pattern both locally and throughout the drawing process. A more precise understanding of the wrinkle formation will allow for more efficient process control in the future.