Dow Corning Paper Lab Accelerates Innovations in Recycling Technologies
MIDLAND, MICHIGAN, USA - Dow Corning Corporation, a leading supplier of innovative silicone solutions for the pulp and paper industry, has announced the opening of its Recycled Fiber (RCF) Lab in Barry, Wales. Dedicated to innovative recycling technologies and products, the facility is expected to help processors meet tightening environmental regulations, contain costs, and improve product quality.
Functioning primarily in a screening role, the new laboratory will help Dow Corning quickly identify the best potential new product candidates for extensive production-scale trials and commercialization. "In this lab setting, we can conduct very efficient initial testing on a wide range of potential product formulations, under varying conditions," observed John Francis, Dow Corning Pulp & Paper Application Engineer and RCF Technical Leader. "We can accurately simulate many different applications, such as newspapers and lower-grade writing papers, which are a primary market for recycled fiber."
Development capabilities of the RCF Lab are enabled with laboratory-scale equipment that emulates production processes. "The pulping machine creates pulp slurry from recyclable materials and is then transferred to a 30-liter deinking flotation cell. Here the ink is detached from the fiber surface and, along with filler materials and other contaminants, is collected. The effect is that the 'brightness' of the paper is increased, and the cleaned fibers are separated from the reject stream," Francis said. "Finally, with our paper former, we can create paper samples in sheet form to study properties such as brightness using the lab's spectrophotometer," he added.
In addition to opening the RCF Lab, Dow Corning will coordinate joint activities with the Centre Technique du Papier International (CTPi) with a focus on paper recycling. Dow Corning Paper & Process Industries European marketer Alexandre Krapivin will organize the activities between the two organizations.
"Dow Corning is committed to improving the pulp and paper industry," Krapivin said. "Opening the RCF Lab and working with the CTPi are just the first steps Dow Corning is taking to ensure the industry is well educated on recycling and that it not only meets, but exceeds, environmental standards."
Dow Corning offers a wide array of silicon-based solutions and process aids for pulp and paper manufacturing, as well as surface treatments for tissue products. Products, local technical support and customer service are all available throughout the world. The company also provides unique material and service solutions designed to help customers expand into new markets, grow their business and succeed. For more information, visit http://www.dowcorning.com/pulp
Dow Corning (www.dowcorning.com) provides performance-enhancing solutions to serve the diverse needs of more than 25,000 customers worldwide. A global leader in silicon-based technology and innovation that offers more than 7,000 products and services, Dow Corning is equally owned by The Dow Chemical Company and Corning, Incorporated. More than half of Dow Corning's annual sales are outside the United States.
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