2.

0 MATERIALS AND METHODS

2.1 Pulp Beating
2.1.1 Materials
 Pulp From Experiment 2
 Water
2.1.2 Apparatus
 Valley Beater
 Stopwatch
 Plastic Pail
 Measuring Cylinder
2.1.3 Methodology
Firstly, 23 liters of water are prepared and poured into the valley beater. The needed
oven dried (OD) weight of pulp is calculated. Next, the pulp is transferred into the valley
beater, and the beater is run with no load for 3 minutes for disintegration purposes. After 3
minutes, the beater is stopped.
Then, a stock volume equivalent to 24 g of oven dried pulp is withdrawn from the
beater. This sample is known as unbeaten pulp (0 min beating time). The load is then placed
on the beater arm, and the beating process is started, marking the beginning of the beating
time. Afterwards, the beating process is stopped at successive time intervals of 20 minutes, 40
minutes, 60 minutes, 80 minutes, and 100 minutes, and a volume of stock is withdrawn from
the beater at each interval. Finally, the stock is transferred into a disintegrator for further
processing.

2.2 Stock Preparation

2.2.1 Materials
 Water
 Pulp Stock
2.2.2 Apparatus
 Plastic Pail
 Disintegrator
 Measuring Cylinder
2.2.3 Methodology
Some water is added into the disintegrator to reduce the consistency of the stock to
1.2% (the total volume is 2000 ml). Then, the pulp stock is disintegrated for 50,000
revolutions.
 After the disintegration process, the stock is transferred to the plastic pail. The
disintegrator is rinsed with 1,000 mL of water, and it is added to the plastic pail. Finally, extra
water is added to the pail to dilute the pulp stock.

2.3 Fiber Length Determination (Bauer MacNett Classifier)

2.3.1 Materials
 Water
 Pulp Stock
2.3.2 Apparatus
 Classifier
 Measuring Cylinder
 Stopwatch
 Plastic Pail
 Oven
 Filter Paper
 Hand sheet Machine Cylinder
 Weighting Machine
2.3.3 Methodology
The exact volume of the prepared stock, equivalent to 5 g of pulp, is measured and
poured into the top tank. The water tap is then turned off, and the stock is slowly released
from the top tank into the first screened tank. The water tap is subsequently turned on again at
a constant flow rate, and the timer is started.
After 20 minutes, the water tap is turned off, and the motor is stopped. The drain plug
of each screened tank is removed, and the contents are drained into four plastic pails. The
plastic pails are labelled according to the mesh sizes: 16, 30, 50, and 100 mesh. Next, the
fibers are filtered through the hand sheet machine cylinder. A piece of filter paper is placed
beneath the cylinder, and the column is sealed. The water is poured slowly to the edge of the
cylinder to prevent direct contact with the filter paper. The filtering process is carried out for
the 100 mesh size first, followed by the 50, 30, and 16 mesh sizes. Each filter paper is then
placed in an oven at 105°C overnight for drying.
The fiber weight of each screened tank is determined by weighing the filter papers.
Using these weights, the Weighted Average Fiber Length of the pulp can be calculated.
2.4 Freeness of Pulp And Stock Consistency From The Pulp Pad
2.4.1 Materials
 1000 ml of Pulp Stock
 Water
2.4.2 Apparatus
 Canadian Standard Freeness Tester
 1000 ml Measuring Cylinder
 1000 ml Beaker
 Plastic Pail
 Thermometer
 Weighing Machine
 Oven
 Aluminum Foil
 Cloth
2.4.3 Methodology
The Canadian Standard Freeness (CSF) Tester was cleaned with water to ensure the
CSF Tester is free from pulp. The drainage chamber is placed on the upper supporting
bracket, with its lower lid closed and the upper lid and air-cock open position. The 1000 ml
measuring cylinder is positioned to receive the discharge from the side orifice, and a 1000 ml
beaker is placed to collect the discharge from the bottom orifice.
The pulp stock from the plastic pail is thoroughly stirred to ensure a homogeneous
mix, and its temperature is taken. Next, 1000 ml of pulp stock is accurately measured using
the 1000 ml measuring cylinder. The pulp stock in the measuring cylinder is mixed by closing
the top of the cylinder with the hand and gently inverting the cylinder 180° three times.
The pulp stock is then poured gently but rapidly into the upper draining chamber.
Once all the pulp stock has been transferred into the chamber, the top lid and air-cock are
closed, and the bottom lid is opened. After 5 seconds from the completion of the addition of
the pulp stock, the air-cock is fully opened in a single motion. The volume discharge from the
side orifice is recorded when the side discharge has ceased. The corrected CSF Freeness at
20°C and 0.3% consistency is calculated.
The pulp pad collected from the freeness chamber is transferred to a piece of cloth
and squeezed to drain as much water as possible. Afterwards, the pulp pad is oven-dried, and
the weight of the pulp pad is determined. A piece of aluminum foil is folded into a small tray
size, and the pulp pad is transferred into the tray. The aluminum foil with the pulp pad is
placed into an oven at 105°C for 24 hours to remove all the moisture. The weight of the
aluminum foil is measured and recorded using a weighing machine. Finally, the pulp Stock
Consistency is calculated.
2.5 Stock Consistency From The Handsheet
2.5.1 Materials
 Water
 400 ml Pulp Stock
2.5.2 Apparatus
 1000 ml Measuring Cylinder
 Plastic Pail
 Handsheet Machine
 Blotter Paper
 Couch Roll
 Couch Plate
 Iron
 Weighing Machine
 Desiccator
2.5.3 Methodology
The screen and cylinder of the handsheet machine are cleaned to remove any
remaining pulp. The cylinder is ensured to be tightly locked. The water button is turned on,
allowing water to fill the handsheet cylinder. Then, 400 ml of the pulp stock is measured
using a measuring cylinder and poured into the handsheet cylinder. The measuring cylinder is
rinsed with water to ensure no pulp is left behind during the transferring process. The water
button is turned off, and the bubble button is turned on for approximately 10 seconds,
allowing even distribution of bubbles throughout the entire column of water. After 10
seconds, the bubble button is turned off. Next, the suction button is turned on to drain the
water out of the handsheet cylinder and form the wet handsheet on the screen.
Then, the handsheet cylinder is unlocked and pushed behind. Three pieces of blotter
paper are placed centrally on the wet handsheet, and the couch plate is placed centrally on the
blotter. The couch roll is gently placed in the middle of the couch plate.The couch roll is then
rotated backward and forward to perform five complete rolls. Subsequently, the couch roll is
lifted. The wet handsheet with blotters and couch plate is removed from the wire, with the
wet handsheet adhering to the underside of the lower blotter. The wet handsheet with the
attached blotter is separated from the other blotter and couch plate.
To dry the wet handsheet, it is placed on a hot plate with the wet handsheet side up,
and a fresh blotter is placed on top of it. A piece of cloth is pressed with a hot iron to ensure
proper drying. The dry handsheet is then pulled from the blotters and allowed to cool down in
a desiccator for 10 minutes. Finally, the dry handsheet is placed in a closed balance and
immediately weighed. The Stock Consistency of the pulp can then be calculated.
2.6 Handsheet Making
2.6.1 Materials
 Water
 Pulp Stock
2.6.2 Apparatus
 1000 ml Measuring Cylinder
 Plastic Pail
 Handsheet Machine
 Blotter Paper
 Couch Roll
 Couch Plate
2.5.3 Methodology
The volume of pulp stock required to produce a handsheet of 60 g/m 2 was calculated
based on the calculated pulp stock consistency.
Before making the handsheet, the screen and cylinder of the handsheet machine are
cleaned to remove any remaining pulp. The cylinder is ensured to be tightly locked. The
water button is turned on, allowing water to fill the handsheet cylinder. Then, 400 ml of the
pulp stock is measured using a measuring cylinder and poured into the handsheet cylinder.
The measuring cylinder is rinsed with water to ensure no pulp is left behind during the
transferring process. The water button is turned off, and the bubble button is turned on for
approximately 10 seconds, allowing even distribution of bubbles throughout the entire
column of water. After 10 seconds, the bubble button is turned off. Next, the suction button is
turned on to drain the water out of the handsheet cylinder and form the wet handsheet on the
screen.
Then, the handsheet cylinder is unlocked and pushed behind. Three pieces of blotter
paper are placed centrally on the wet handsheet, and the couch plate is placed centrally on the
blotter. The couch roll is gently placed in the middle of the couch plate. The couch roll is then
rotated backward and forward to perform five complete rolls. Subsequently, the couch roll is
lifted. The wet handsheet with blotters and couch plate is removed from the wire, with the
wet handsheet adhering to the underside of the lower blotter. The wet handsheet with the
attached blotter is separated from the other blotter and couch plate. The wet handsheet and
attached blotter (with the wet handsheet side up) are placed on a fresh blotter, which is then
centrally located on a plate using a press template. Another plate and a fresh blotter are used
to cover the wet handsheet.
The screen in the handsheet machine is cleaned and repeat the process of making the
next handsheet. Typically, 8-10 handsheets can be made from the prepared pulp stock.
2.7 Pressing And Drying
2.7.1 Materials
 Pulp Stock
2.6.2 Apparatus
 Press Cover
 Wing Nuts
 Press Template
 Blotter Paper
 Drying Ring
2.5.3 Methodology
The press cover is positioned and the wing nuts are screwed hand-tight. The first
cycle button is pushed, initiating the pressing process. The pressure gradually increases to
345 kPa (50 psi) within 30 seconds and remains constant for 5 minutes. Afterward, the
pressure is automatically released, and the press cover can be removed.
The stack of plates and blotters is then removed and set aside. The wet handsheet,
which will have adhered to the polished plate, is placed centrally on a dry blotter with the
help of the press template as a guide. One new blotter is placed to cover the handsheet. This
stacking process is repeated for all handsheets.
Once again, the press cover is placed in position as before, and the second cycle
button is pushed. The pressure increases to 50 psi and is maintained for 2 minutes. Afterward,
the pressure is automatically released, and the press cover can be removed.
The plate with its attached handsheet is transferred to the drying ring. A heavy weight
is placed on top of the pile of rings to facilitate drying. The handsheets are left to dry under
standard room conditions. It is important to allow the handsheets to completely dry before
removing them from the plates.