Projects

Revitalizing U.S. Market Pulp

Project Description

We are targeting pulp buyers, pulp sales representatives and R & D specialists as potential readers of the book on pulp applications, since they are the people who need this information the most. The industry trend analysis and economic analysis is targeted towards executives and corporate staff as well as managers of pulp manufacturing organizations. Therefore, this book will be marketed as a "Resource Book" rather than as a purely "Technical Book" that was written with no specific, practical commercial objective in mind. First, readers of this book must be educated that their industry is changing and, in order to survive, they will need to change their strategy and become specialists. Second, to become specialists readers must be made aware of the different pulp applications. It is essential they be educated that all pulps contain species which are inherently different. These species have different characters just like individual human beings have different faces and characters. Visual information of the SEM micrographs of the fibers will help non-technical people to understand and appreciate the characteristics of the fibers much more easily. We feel it is of paramount importance that we convince all the readers that high performance papers should be made from pulps that are ideally suited to those specific paper properties desired by the end users. We will provide information as to what pulps are good for which kinds of products, and, equally, which kinds of products need certain, specific pulps. We also will provide micrographs of the products to help readers understand which pulp requirements are needed to attain the desired performance standards. New product development should be joint efforts between the pulp buyers and R&D research groups. We would like to include technical data of the market pulps for these R&D groups using terms and expressions that are appropriate for the various specialty grades of paper they are developing. This book intends to provide the same base for pulp buyers, pulp sellers and R&D people to stimulate discussions which will eventually lead to the development of new products or improvement of the present products.

In the book we are planning to include about 50 representative market pulps from around the world. The main focus will be, of course, on the market pulps form North America. However, we will also cover the market pulps from South America, the Scandinavian countries, Russia, South-East Asia, Indonesia, New Zealand and South Africa.

The purpose for writing this book is to raise the expectations of the market pulp producers and marketers to show them the future can be brighter than they now anticipate. To begin, we would be analyzing the methods and procedures currently practiced in the market pulp business so that we might point out and elaborate on the hurdles they must overcome if they are to survive competitively and profitably:
1) That pulps are generally not being selected on the basis of their benefits and distinctive properties but simply on price.
2) Pulp properties are not being fully utilized to optimize their value in the products.
3) New products should be designed around the most appropriate pulps capable of making the greatest practical contribution.
4) Non-papermaking applications and alternative uses for pulp should be developed.

Convincing surviving U.S. pulp manufacturers to change their strategy is no easy task. They have conducted business in one way for several decades and changing their mindset will require education as well as empirical evidence. The market study and technical studies will achieve these tasks. For the market study, we will rely on secondary data from creditable industry weekly newsletters, focus groups and interviews with consultants, owners, sales representatives and R&D executives to identify the market trends. The report from this analysis will form the foundation for educating pulp manufacturers regarding industry trends and consequences. If the industry analysis points to the need for US pulp manufacturers to become niche players, it will then become important to provide them with empirical evidence that pursuing the niche strategy is worthwhile. The second objective of the market study is to provide this empirical evidence. Case studies, in-depth interviews, and surveys will be undertaken to provide this empirical evidence. The case studies will profile several companies who have successfully made a transition into niche markets. The economic analysis for these case studies should provide evidence that a niche strategy can be profitable. While the case studies are helpful, they are incomplete in that they do not provide a broad analysis of market needs. The surveys will fulfill that role. It is worthwhile noting that we have already identified several credible individuals/companies that are willing to participate in focus groups, in-depth interviews, and case studies (See Appendix 1). This provides us with an excellent head start! Please note that the list of individuals/companies is the Appendix is not exhaustive. They merely represent a sample of the individuals/companies that we will ultimately contact.

Simply providing empirical evidence that a niche strategy can be profitable is insufficient if the alternative product options are not demonstrated in a compelling manner. We believe by showing the technical data in a straightforward manner with easily understand illustrations, our message will succeed in persuading them to alter their current product strategy. Realizing a greater effectiveness among the product development groups at the paper mills will require the cooperative efforts of pulp sellers, pulp buyers and research groups. At present it is very rare to find this degree of collaboration by these groups. We are confident that this resource book will provide the information necessary to deepen the groups' mutual understanding of all the benefits that would accrue as a result of the more judicious use of all the various fiber species.
We will be focusing on about 50 representative pulps from all over the world to emphasize the global nature of Market Pulps and their respective fiber species. The list of the pulps which will be included in the book is shown in the Appendix II. If all of these pulps are compared and evaluated by the same instrument and techniques, their differences will become apparent, any unique features can be identified, and, which pulp is most suitable for each specific application. We are currently unaware of any previous attempt to compare such a broad range of market pulps in this manner using the same methods and instruments.
We will include the following essential information of these approximately 50 pulps. This information will be made more meaningful by knowing the relative availability of the pulps…in other words, whether the market pulp industry is expanding in that country.
- Pulpwood species
- Pulping process
- Pulp Capacity (if known)
- What countries are expanding their production of Market Pulp (i.e .which are the more aggressive competitors).

Pulp producers routinely provide technical data sheets on their pulps which normally include such basis characteristics as ISO brightness, ash content, organic extractibles, Alpha Cellulose content, dirt count, percent hardwood/softwood, and beater-curve strength data such as Tear, Fold, Burst, Tensile and TEA all at five levels of refining. However, we will not be relying on their data for this book since such mill-specific data cannot be compared to other mills. There are many instruments, procedures and standards for the testing of pulp properties (low consistency beaters, PFI mills, FQA instruments, Kajaani FS200, etc.. To make the comparison of all the data meaningful, the data should be compared by the same instruments and the same techniques. We are planning to use Op Test Laboratory Fiber Quality Analyzer (FQA) at IPST to measure the following pulp properties which are essential in determining the most appropriate applications:
- Average fiber length (length weighted)
- Fiber coarseness (g/100 m)
- Fines content
- Fiber population (number of fibers/g of pulp)
- Curl factor (flexibility)

FQA is an instrument which rapidly, accurately and automatically measures the quality of pulp fibers. There has been similar equipment available but the FQA is fast becoming the industry standard. Among these fiber characteristics fiber length, fiber coarseness and fiber population are very important information in determining the proper application.

Fiber length is an important fiber characteristic which impacts various paper properties. An increase in fiber length can increase the tear, tensile and folding resistance of paper. Also, an increase in the fiber length can have negative impacts, such as increasing the risk of flocculation which can decrease formation quality.

Coarseness includes the following fiber properties: cell wall thickness, fiber width, and density. Paper made of lower coarseness fibers give higher values in tensile strength, higher apparent density and smoother surface.

Fiber population determining the typical number of fiber in a single gram of pulp while disregarding those finely divided particles measuring less than 0.2 mm in size.

We are also planning to include following data:
- Fiber diameter and fiber length
- Cell wall thickness
These are two of the more basic pieces of information useful in judging surface properties and mechanical structure of the paper to be produced.

We will select 40 of the most popular and highly regarded pulps which are marketed globally to papermakers out of the total of 50 and evaluate the basic paper properties of these pulps. These 40 selected pulps will be those where the speed of strength development or the total strength development is considered to be of importance. The following properties will be covered:
- Tensile index
- Tear index
- Burst index
- Bulk
- Opacity

Paper testing data is, of course, significant for papermakers since the sum total of these tests constitute the overall level of quality…both from the strength standpoint as well as aesthetics. Realizing that their paper product's quality is in large measure pre-determined by the quality of the pulp, buyers have traditionally insisted on a full compliment of technical data from the pulp producers. Unfortunately, the producer's instruments had little or no correlation with the large-scale production equipment in use in all paper mills. Beater curves were usually looked at casually and then filed away. This is, no doubt, why pulp users have had little knowledge of the different fiber species and their benefits, unusual properties or distinctive characteristics. These Beater Curves are still in use today and are now accompanied by a Technical Data Sheet and a Certificate of Analysis. The Technical Data Sheet is a generic (not order-specific) list of minimums and maximums for the various properties and do not really reflect what the pulp actually tested. In other words, producers are content to tell buyers what the pulp will NOT be rather that what the pulp really is. And, buyers have been accepting this.

Many believe this is one of the reasons for the demise of so many specialty mills.
All the pulps will be portrayed by the use of Scanning Electron Micrographs to help even non-technical readers to properly understand fiber properties visually as well as by the database. We believe this is the best combination if the pulp is to be described in an objective, quantitative way. All the cell elements of the pulps are clearly shown in the surface pictures of the pulps. Cross sectional view of fibers will be shown also to illustrate the degree of lumen collapse. Fibers actually contained in the products will be shown to help the reader understand how the fibers are interacting. All the SEM micrographs will be used in a descriptive way to add meaning to the captions, so that readers can comprehend the technical description as easily as reading a richly illustrated picture book.

It has long been recognized that a fiber's basic morphology plays a major role in determining its performance in the paper product as well as the paper's ability to completely satisfy the customer's "prime requisite" (that physical or aesthetic property that is considered to be of paramount importance and non-negotiable). Pulp buyers have had little opportunity to become acquainted with the relative standing of one pulp against another insofar as wall thickness, fiber diameter, length, fines content or degree of flexibility are concerned. The results of all the Laboratory findings and conclusions will be extremely helpful in assisting buyers chose the proper pulps for specific, demanding applications. The actual usage by customers in the demanding applications will serve as a practical "field-testing" Laboratory to prove or disprove the results and conclusions of this proposed research project. Our Resource Book will make recommendations and will illustrate all the fiber species characteristics and benefits. Actually using these pulps on new product development grades will be the proof of the pudding in actually determining the authenticity of our conclusions.

The specific academic oriented output of this project is a data base of the market pulp fibers. There is no database of fiber properties of the various species found in those market pulps. This lack of a database does not involve just the market pulps but for all the wood pulps used for papermaking around the world as well. If we provide the database of the wood species found in the major market pulps, this information can also be used as a database of similar wood pulps used in the more remote parts of the world.

Hiroki Nanko is teaching "Wood and Fiber Science" at IPST. One of the problems that professors teaching at "Paper Schools" are facing to is lack of the good textbook of pulps. In the US there are 12 colleges offering Paper Science and Engineering degree: Auburn, Georgia Tech, Miami University, NC State University, Oregon State University, SUNY at Syracuse, University of Massachusetts at Lowell, University of Minnesota at St. Paul, University of Maine, University of Washington, University of Wisconsin at Stevens Pt. , and Western Michigan University. At most of these schools, textbook for Wood Science [19] has been used for teaching "Fiber Science". Textbooks of wood science can be used to teach row material of pulps as they covers 1) cell types of hardwood and softwood and 2) cell wall structure of fibers. They were published mostly in the 60s and the information included in these books has not been updated since then, due to the decline of Wood Science and Wood Product Engineering Schools in the US. The most popular textbook of wood structure which is "Textbook of Wood Technology" [19] became out of print last year. This may cause a serious textbook crisis among "Paper School" professors who are teaching "Fiber Science". Recently, a series of 19 books covering the latest technology of "Papermaking Science and Technology" has been published in cooperation with Finnish Paper Engineers' Association and TAPPI. They are starting to be used as textbooks at the 'Paper Schools". However, this series does not cover "Fiber Science" or "Pulp Fiber Properties". Students studying Pulp and Paper Science and Technology are lacking good textbook to educate themselves about pulp fibers. Our book is not a 'Fiber Science Textbook" targeting such students. However, we are confident it will help as a sub-textbook for the under graduate and M.S. students. It will also be a useful for the Ph.D. students as a database for their research projects.

There is no database of fiber properties of the various species found in major market pulps. This lack of a database is not just for the market pulps but for all the wood pulps used by papermakers around the world. If we provide the database of the wood species found in the major market pulps, this information can also be used as a database of similar wood pulps used in the more remote parts of the world. In major pulp markets it is common for buyers to have many suppliers vying for their business. It would be very helpful for buyers to have a factual comparison of all these pulps done by an independent third-party rather to have to rely on a particular mill's own analysis. Then, too, there is the problem of comparing numbers which were derived by different means.

Duration: 1 year