The pulp and paper industry faces new challenges as global competition and environmental compliance costs put pressure on profit margins. FMC supplies products and provides solutions to help companies compete successfully in this dynamic market.
Hydrogen peroxide is a versatile, clean and environmentally friendly bleaching agent that can be used to brighten chemical, mechanical, and recycled pulps, as well as treat a wide range of mill pollutants in the waste stream.
Persulfates and peracetic acid are economical and environmentally friendly alternatives to chlorine treatments. Persulfates are well suited for broke treatment and peracetic acid for microbial control.
Soda ash and sodium bicarbonate can provide benefits in the pulping process or in the neutralization of effluent streams.
Soda ash, primarily dense ash, has a wide range of applications in the P&P industry. It is used in the water treating processes throughout the paper plant and in coating formulations, and can be a major component in some pulp digestion and bleaching processes. Soda ash has been substituted for caustic soda when caustic prices rise due to its direct relationship to chlorine production.
In the Kraft paper process, soda ash plays a major role both as a vial constituent for minor pulping and as an intermediate chemical formed in the regeneration process. As an example, soda ash, as a cheaper additive, might be added to the digestion process if an alkali were desired as the makeup chemical to produce a higher NAOH or Na2S ratio and fed to the smelt dissolver system.