Advanced Pitch & Stickies Control Technology
NexShield™
A concentrated pulp and paper industry contaminant control agent that creates a hydrophilic shell around hydrophobic pitch and stickies particles, keeping them small and dispersed while preventing them from becoming tacky even at high temperatures, unlike traditional detackifiers, fixatives, or talc treatments.
Video Introduction
NexShield™
NexShield™ creates a hydrophilic shell around hydrophobic pitch and stickie particles, helping them stay small and dispersed in the solution. The particles also acquire a slightly anionic nature, allowing cationic additives (polymers, strength aids, etc.) to remove them from the system.
The hydrophilic shell NexShield™ forms around contaminant particles also make them unattractive to other particles and prevents them from being attracted to paper machine fabrics.
NexShield™ Advantages
Pitch & Stickies are kept small and dispersed
Pitch & Stickies are no longer attractive to paper machine fabrics and rolls
Pitch & Stickies are no longer prone to softening or melting
NexShield™ Applications
Paper, paperboard, tissue, and pulp mills
Control of pitch, recycled fiber stickies, converting broke, and other hydrophobic contaminants
Talc contaminant control replacement
Pulp mill pitch control
Wash and extraction stage efficiency improvement
The NexShield™ Difference
Common Detackifiers
- Detackifies contaminants using nonionic polymers to create steric stabilization
- Lacks a mechanism to prevent melting and migrating to heated dryer fabrics, calendars, and other surfaces
- Cycle-up of contaminants is possible
Cationic Fixatives
- Fixes pitch and stickie particles to fiber
- Success varies based on the contaminant’s reactivity to cationic polymers
- Contaminants are not detackifiers
- Lacks a mechanism to prevent melting and migrating to heated dryer fabrics, calendars, and other edged surfaces
Talc
- Absorbs contaminants on the talc surface
- Sensitive to sheer, sheer points can release sticky particles
- Lacks a mechanism to prevent melting and migrating to heated dryer fabrics, calendars, and other edged surfaces
- May resolve pitch issues in the pulp mill but shifts the problem to the pulp user
- Raises safety and legal concerns
NexShield™ Case Studies
Talc Replacement Coated Freesheet Mill
The Challenge
A mill had deposition issues on both the paper machine’s center press rolls, the smoothing press roll, Uhle box covers, and dryer felt rolls. The mill used talc in its purchased HWK system to control these issues but wanted to eliminate its use due to the handling issues and the growing health concerns about talc inhalation.
The DuBois Solution
NexShield™ replaced the talc treatment. The product was fed into the dry fiber pulper and, after refining. Photographic records documented the center press roll, smoothing press roll, and sheet side dryer felt rolls becoming noticeably cleaner over time. The program cost was comparable to the talc program cost while eliminating the talc handling and health concerns. A data analytics platform analysis verified no adverse changes in ZDT, wet-end charge, surface defects, tray solids, or silica usage.
Recycled Towel Machine
The Challenge
A tissue and towel customer making white and brown towel with 45-100% recycled fiber wanted to utilize a less expensive fiber blend while minimizing stickies deposition on the machine. Historically, stickies have deposited on the TAD fabric and sheet side rolls to the degree that prevented using this fiber blend.
The DuBois Solution
DuBois’ NexShield™ X102 pitch and stickies control technology was applied to the recycled stream before the blend chest at 2.5 lb. per ton produced. As a result of the program, deposition was minimized, allowing for normal operation with increased recycled fiber use. The savings was many times greater than the cost of the program.
Kraft Fiber Sawdust Line
The Challenge
A Kraft mill was looking for a better solution for pitch control in its sawdust pulping line. The mill utilized a pitch dispersion product but was unhappy with the results. Pitch coupons were employed to monitor deposition. The deposition on the high-pressure screens was also visually inspected to reflect system conditions.
The DuBois Solution
DuBois recommended replacing the current dispersant with our NexShield™ P103 product. NexShield™ P103 was applied to the brown stock washers at 1.0 lb/ton and the brown stock high-density pump at 0.6 lb/ton. The pitch control improved significantly due to the program. The pitch coupon installed at two locations showed a reduction in deposition. The high-pressure screens were removed during an outage two months after the program began and indicated a notable decrease in deposition. Pitch extractive levels were reduced to an average of less than 0.2 grams per day on the coupon surface.
Transform Your Paper Production with Superior Contaminant Control
Experience breakthrough technology that effectively manages pitch and stickies while eliminating traditional concerns associated with talc and other conventional treatments. Our NexShield solutions create a hydrophilic shell around contaminants, preventing deposition on machine surfaces even at high temperatures.