Luterra Advanced Materials Pulp Dispersing Agent Helps North American Paper Mill Solve Fiber Flocculation Issues And Improve Paper Formation

Luterra Advanced Materials recently announced significant operational improvements achieved with its Pulp Dispersing Agent (P-02) at a major North American paper mill. The customer, a producer of premium uncoated fine paper, had strict requirements for paper formation, surface smoothness, and printability. However, the mill had long been plagued by poor formation caused by fiber flocculation, uneven dewatering on the forming wire, and frequent sheet breaks. By adopting the pulp dispersing agent solution from Luterra Advanced Materials, the customer successfully improved pulp suspension uniformity, increased the formation index by over 15%, and reduced refining energy consumption.

Customer Challenge: Fiber Flocculation Constraining Efficiency and Quality
During pulping and papermaking, fibers tend to flocculate due to hydrophobicity and mechanical/chemical interactions, forming fiber agglomerates. This flocculation severely affects uniform fiber distribution on the forming wire, leading to poor formation, "cloudy" appearance, and pinholes, and can even cause sheet breaks and dusting, limiting machine runnability. This North American customer, an integrated mill producing 600 TPD of uncoated fine paper, faced pronounced fiber flocculation issues when producing 80 g/m^² offset paper on its Fourdrinier machine: first, the formation index consistently lagged behind industry benchmarks, affecting printability; second, white water consistency under the wire was high, indicating poor retention of fines and fillers; and third, refining energy consumption was excessive.

Solution: Pulp Dispersing Agent (P-02) Precisely Matched to Process Needs
Following on-site assessment, Luterra Advanced Materials' technical team proposed a solution centered on Pulp Dispersing Agent (P-02) . This product is a colorless to slightly yellow liquiddeveloped using advanced dispersion and chelation technology, with anionic/nonioniccharacteristics and a pH range of 6.0–9.0 (stable within 4.0–10.0), and is readily soluble in water.

The solution delivers value through three core advantages:
Superior Fiber Dispersion and Homogenization: Pulp Dispersing Agent (P-02) provides excellent fiber deflocculation, dispersion, and homogenization capabilities, effectively breaking down fiber flocs and maintaining uniform fiber suspension. It is highly effective in challenging conditions such as high-viscosity pulps, high-filler systems, and wastepaper pulping, significantly improving paper formation, softness, and surface smoothness. In the customer's operation, the formation index increased from 85 to over 98-an improvement exceeding 15%.

Reduced Refining Energy and Enhanced Efficiency: By improving fiber dispersion, the product reduces beating load, shortens beating time, and lowers power consumption. Customer data confirmed an approximate 12% reduction in refining energy consumption, along with a 30% decrease in sheet break frequency, contributing to improved machine stability.

Broad System Compatibility: The product remains stable across a pH range of 4.0–10.0 without compromising fiber strength, sizing effectiveness, or paper brightness and color. It is compatible with various additives used in pulping and wet-end processes and does not interfere with system operation.