Wet End Starch Cooking
Wet end starch - Starch added at the wet end to the paper slurry can help increase the sheet strength. The starch will also act as binder for various additives and fillers such as Alum, Calcium carbonate and TiO2. When properly cooked, starch swells and its viscosity increases. Wet end starch is produced to give it a cationic charge. This allows the cooked starch natural adhesion properties to create a bond with the paper fibers. By connecting the fibers and additives in small 'clumps', leaving relatively clean water in between (flocculation), faster drainage of water leading to increased wire and machine speeds.
Kraft pulp mills produce pulp from wood chips. Within the pulp production, a chemical process produces green liquor. Green liquor is a combination of recovery boiler smelt and dilute white liquor. Dregs are removed and liquor is sent to recausticising tanks to produce white liquor. Flows vary based on the size of the pulp mill and can range from 350-1400 gpm.
White water is a fine particle slurry used throughout the paper making process. Its name derives from fine fiber particles in the water that give it a milky white appearance. White water drains from the paper stock into a pit below the paper machine and is used for a variety of uses in the paper making process.
