Volume 05, Number 4
Sep 1992

Why Has the Shift to Alkaline Taken so Long?

An excerpt from the June 1992 Preservation Issues, a quarterly publication of the State Library of Ohio, distributed as an insert to the State Library of Ohio News.

Since the deleterious effects of acid papermaking have been known for the past 40 years, it is fair to ask why the paper industry has not moved more quickly to convert back to alkaline papermaking. While there is no simple answer to the question, two factors have been primary. First, as every librarian has heard on any number of occasions, there has been no strong economic incentive for the industry to change its practices. Second, while a few companies committed the time and energy to learn how to produce high quality alkaline papers for certain niche markets, the chemical technology and skills required to convert from acid to alkaline papermaking were not widely distributed throughout the industry, nor among the chemical suppliers who provide the chemicals and technical expertise required for such a conversion.

An economic incentive to convert from acid to alkaline papermaking on a large scale appeared in the late 1970s when a low cost calcium carbonate filler material appeared for the first time in the U.S. Prior to that time all available calcium carbonate fillers were expensive and their use increased production costs. With the economic question settled for many companies, research into acid-to-alkaline conversion began in earnest. Many trials were run and several mill conversions occurred. It has required another twelve years of intense work, however, for significant changes to begin. Why so long?

The slowness with which the U.S. paper industry has progressed in converting back to alkaline papermaking is not without precedent. For example, many European papermakers made the conversion in the 1970s and reported that the average time period required to complete the project was ten years. The reason for such long conversion times lies in the profound nature of the undertaking. An acid-to-alkaline conversion requires the evaluation and replacement of practically every chemical component in the papermaking system. The general chemical environment of the japer machine is altered and this changes the behavior of wood fibers in the paper forming process. The final product, while having the same appearance as acid papers, has different mechanical properties and runs differently on printing presses and other converting equipment. Finally, acid and alkaline papers cannot be mixed in recycling operations; waste paper brokers have had to set up systems to deal with this situation.

Reference

Ellen McCrady. "Librarians and Archivists View Neutral/ Alkaline Paper," pp. 49-55 in Notes from TAPPI Neutral/Alkaline Papermaking Short Course, Orlando, FL, Oct. 16-18, 1990