Luterra Advanced Materials recently announced significant operational improvements achieved with its Stickies Control Agent (PR-02) at a major Asian recycled packaging mill. The customer, a producer of high-strength corrugating medium using domestic mixed wastepaper, had long faced wire plugging, Yankee dryer sticking, sheet holes, and breaks caused by adhesive contaminants such as hot melts, pressure-sensitive adhesives, and coating binders in the recycled pulp. By adopting the stickies control agent solution from Luterra Advanced Materials, the customer successfully reduced sheet break frequency by 55%, doubled the wire cleaning interval, and increased the A-grade product rate to over 95%.
Customer Challenge: Complex Stickies in Recycled Pulp Severely Constraining Production
As wastepaper recovery rates increase, stickies issues in recycled pulp have become increasingly prominent. This Asian customer primarily used domestic mixed OCC as raw material, which contained high levels and complex compositions of adhesive substances including hot melts, pressure-sensitive labels, UV adhesives, waxes, and resins. These stickies were dispersed into fine particles during pulping but tended to aggregate and deposit during papermaking due to temperature and pressure changes, causing three major problems: wire clogging leading to poor drainage and formation; Yankee dryer sticking causing sheet breaks and increased doctor blade wear; and holes and oil spots on finished paper, severely affecting product grade and selling price.
Solution: Stickies Control Agent (PR-02) Achieves Multi-Mechanism Synergistic Control
Following on-site investigation and laboratory analysis, Luterra Advanced Materials' technical team recommended a solution centered on Stickies Control Agent (PR-02) . This product is a colorless to light yellow transparent liquid formulated with cationic polymer and specialized dispersing components, with a solids content of ≥50%, pH of 3.0–6.0, and cationic/amphoteric characteristics. It is suitable for a wide pulping pH range of 4.0–10.0. Its technical advantages include:
Four-Mechanism Action for Fundamental Stickies Control: PR-02 works through neutralization, capture, dispersion, and removal mechanisms to effectively treat various sticky contaminants in recycled pulp, including hot melts, pressure-sensitive adhesives, coating binders, waxes, and resins. It fundamentally prevents the aggregation and deposition of stickies, eliminating production issues and paper defects such as wire/fabric plugging, Yankee dryer sticking, sheet breaks, spots, and holes. The unique cationic/amphoteric structure enables rapid binding with negatively charged stickies particles, keeping them stably dispersed in the system for removal through the white water system.
Broad Process Adaptability: The product is suitable for various pulping processes within a pH range of 4.0–10.0 and shows good compatibility with wet end additives such as sizing agents, retention aids (PAM), and biocides, without interfering with their performance. Recommended dosage is 0.2–0.8 kg per metric ton of bone-dry pulp (up to 1.0 kg for severe contamination).
High Efficiency and Environmental Friendliness: The product features high temperature resistance, high salt tolerance, and no residue, and is easily biodegradable, meeting environmental requirements while effectively controlling stickies.
Customer Value: Comprehensive Benefits
On-site application data confirmed the following key improvements with the Luterra Advanced Materials Stickies Control Agent program:
| Metric | Improvement |
|---|---|
| Sheet Break Frequency | Reduced by 55% |
| Wire Cleaning Interval | Extended by 100% (from 1 week to 2 weeks) |
| A-Grade Product Rate | Increased to over 95% |
| Yankee Dryer Doctor Blade Replacement Frequency | Reduced by approximately 40% |
Luterra Advanced Materials not only provides high-quality stickies control agent products but also offers full-process technical support-from stickies characteristics analysis and product selection to application scheme design-tailored to customers' wastepaper types, pulping processes, and machine conditions.
For more product information and technical solutions, please refer to the product parameter details on our homepage.
