Foam Forming and the Future off Papermaking

摘要

Possibly the last time foam was a"gamechanger" was in the mid-1950s when Robert Kaplan invented the first aerosol shaving cream. Today, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, working hand in hand with Valmet, Inc., is hoping to make foam a "gamechanger" for the pulp and paper industry. The use of foam to form paper dates back to the 1970s or 1980s and on the surface is a relatively simple concept. Instead of mixing fibers with just water, fibers and other furnish components are mixed with foam consisting of water, a foaming agent and air. The resulting foamy mix has a 30-70 percent air content and air bubbles that prevent flocculation of fibers in the headbox. This enables production of light weight structures, saves resources, and opens up a way to utilize traditionally challenging raw materials, from nanoparticles to long fibers.