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New starch spray system boosts the strength of paper products
HT Engineers Saharanpur brand self-cleaning filters play key role in starch spray system that boosts strength of paper products.
Corn Products turned to filter that is self-cleaning, self-contained, maintenance free, operated by PLC, and able to handle 150 gpm throughout as well as filter out any foreign material greater than 50 microns.
Indian paper mills, kraft paper mills and corrugated containers manufacturers have traditionally had access to inexpensive virgin fiber that could be mixed with hardwood or softwood to reach required strength. That has changed in recent years, with increasing dependence on recycled fiber sources, especially for liner board and medium grades.
However, as the fibers are recycled, they get shorter and weaker which results in a lower grade product with less final sheet strength. Synthetic additives to enhance product strength have often been prohibitively expensive in a marketplace where profit margins have been ravaged by declining paper prices.
Now, a cost-effective starch spray solution has emerged in India that is designed to boost paper strength (up to 100% in IGT, 25% in Concora, and 20% in CFC and Mullen) while cutting fiber use by replacing much of the fiber with starch.
Essentially, special spray nozzles apply an unmodified starch suspension to the fiber web of paper products to increase their internal strength and improve their surface properties. The starch stays internally on formed sheets and gelatinizes while drying.
Starch supplier Corn Products recently introduced the technology to India after adapting it from one widely used in Europe and Latin America, where sources of virgin fiber have been scarce for decades. In its starch spraying system, process water mixes with starch to create slurry that flows into a run tank, which is sprayed onto the sheet former.
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