Problem Summary

The closing up of a mill's water system and the increased use of recycled furnish often result in increased contaminant loading in the papermaking system.  As contaminant loading levels in the wet end and press section increase, so does the potential for pitch and stickies to deposit on and foul wet felts.  Wet felt filling due to pitch and/or stickies can lead to any number of problems, including poor sheet quality, lost production, unscheduled shutdowns, and increased operating costs.  Additionally, the frequent use of high doses of expensive chemicals to clean contaminated wet felts can add to a mill's operating cost while simultaneously negatively impacting regulatory and environmental compliance.

Recommended Solution

Zenix® Felt Passivation Technology is a new, environmentally-friendly product that prevents wet felt filling in situations where a mill's closed water system and use of recycled furnish result in increased contaminant loading in the wet end and press section.  This patented technology, which is applied continuously to wet felts, employs polymeric chemistry to passivate and alter the surface charge characteristics of both the felt and the contaminants and surfactant chemistry to emulsify and stabilize recycled fiber contaminants.  Both the polymeric chemistry and surfactant chemistry utilize stabilization to maintain hydrophobic particles in a colloidal or dispersed state.  The combination of mechanisms employed by both chemistries ultimately prevents contaminants from agglomerating into larger particles and attaching to paper machine felts.

Key benefits recorded from practical applications of Zenix® Felt Passivation Technology include:

Reduced felt compaction and wear
Increased felt life
Improved moisture profile
Reduced downtime for felt cleaning
Reduced use of solvent/caustic cleaners for batch washing
Improved machine efficiency
Improved sheet quality