Esterase-type enzymes offer recycled mills an alternative approach to stickies control

摘要

Many North American paper and board mills have to deal with the consequences of using recycled fiber. One major consequence is dealing with stickies that are a natural component of the recycled fiber used by these mills. Stickies can cause runnability and quality problems, and their variable nature makes them difficult to control. A new approach to stickies control has been developed that uses esterase-type enzymes to break down the stickies into smaller, less tacky particles. The successful use of these enzymes at three mills is described in this article.