Market of Biomass Energy has been growing as New field of Strategic Industry under Euro-American initiative and recently Oil Major & Grain Major participated in this industry. Despite of growing industry in overseas, Japan is left behind at this moment, because Japan does not pay much attention on Biomass Energy, although it is one of potential option among Renewable Energy as noticeable issue after 3. 11. Under such circumstances, Japan has to establish effective measures for the promotion of Biomass Energy Industry, in a way that Japan will create sizable sound domestic market and proceed Biomass Refinery project in Asia-Pacific, utilizing abundant biomass natural resources in that region so that Biomass Energy⁄Chemicals⁄Materials can be partly consumed locally and exported to Japan to fulfill Japanese market demand. (So-called “Creation of Asia-Pacific Biomass Community” ). To achieve the plan, Japanese Government and Private Co’s teamwork is required to make win-win relationship with the partners towards establishment of sustainable supply-chain of Biomass Energy Industry in Asia-Pacific region.

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A simple method of producing bio-levulinates, which were expected to be useful alternative liquid bio-fuel or fuel additives, was studied. Bio-levulinates are ester compounds derived from alcohols and levulinic acid that is prepared from cellulosic biomass. Butyl levulinate (4-oxo-pentanoic acid butyl ester, a typical bio-levulinate) was produced by a simple acid catalyzed solvolysis of papermaking sludge. The reaction was performed just by refluxing papermaking sludge with n-butanol containing sulfuric acid. Considerable amount of butyl levulinate was detected in this system (50-70%) based on hexose content of the papermaking sludge.

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Increasing the filler content in paper and paperboard is of great interest for reducing raw material and energy cost as well as improving product quality in such as optical properties. However, the substitution of cellulose fibers with fillers reduces the strength of the finished sheet and also never-dried web of paper in paper-making process, so called wet-web strength. Wet-web strength is one of the most important factors to prevent the web breaks after the couch or within the wet-press section, therefore it is important to know what influence wet-web strength for the production of high filler content paper. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of pulps, fillers and chemical additives which are commonly used for paper making on wet-web strength in detail with handsheet analysis.
We prepared many kinds of never-dried wet handsheet using a variety of pulps and chemical additives with changing filler content and evaluate the tensile strength with vertical tensile test apparatus. The results reveal that wet-web strength is steadily decrease with the increment of filler content, and hardwood kraft pulp, which can increase the dry strength, cannot effectively increase wet-web strength. And we also found some of chemical additives could effectively increase the wet-web strength.

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In this report, pyrolysis-gas chromatography (Py-GC) was applied for the estimation of effects given by SAQ® (a cooking additive) on a kraft cook. As raw materials, 4 spices of hardwood s (eucalyptus, acacia and aspen) were used. Py-GC analyzing data using hardwood chip was compared with the measurement data using kraft pulp.
When a hardwood were analyzed by Py-GC, each8kinds of the guaiacyl type compounds (e. g. guaiacol) and the syringyl type compounds (e. g. syringol) were detected as the lignin-derived pyrolysis products. Then peak area ratios of syringyl type compounds to guaiacyl ones (S⁄G ratio) were evaluated. As a result, a moderately good correlation was observed between S⁄G ratios obtained by Py-GC analysis and the changes of delignification given by kraft-SAQ cook. It indicates that SAQ effect (kappa number reduction) can be evaluated by Py-GC analysis without a laboratory cook test.

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“Smart Sizer” is a sophisticated development of rod metering type size press.
There are many factors that go into designing and operating a successful high-speed rod metering size press, and Paperchine created a quite new and unique technology as “Smart Sizer”.
The purpose of this paper is to highlight and evaluate the key areas for the equipment design and the process conditions. The development concept of “Smart Sizer” is based on “3C”, that is, “Compact design, Clean operation, and Cheap equipment”.
“Smart Sizer” are being used throughout the world to produce a variety of grades ranging from linerboard grades applying starch to high quality woodfree coated paper with high solids coating.

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Rosin sizes are applied as one of major paper chemicals at paper and paperboard machines around the world. Harima Chemicals Inc. is one of major rosin suppliers in the world, and Harima group companies offer liquid sizes, anionic and cationic rosin dispersion sizes for customers in Japan, China, US and Brazil. They are applied in corresponding to each papermaking condition. In Japan, anionic rosin dispersion sizes are mainly used for many grades. On the other hands, cationic rosin dispersion sizes are typically applied at paperboard in the global market such as US and Brazil.
In this report, we introduce rosin market, Harima Chemicals group’s global network, rosin size market and the technical trends. In addition, characteristics, properties and sizing performances of rosin sizes for application and our current technical progress development of rosin sizes such as cationic rosin sizes.

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Bentonite is a name of the rock whose principal component is smectite clay. In papermaking industry Bentonite is used as draining and retention aid and pitch controlling aid, thereby equipment clean up is being possible. This paper introduces the cleanup systems of papermaking process using Bentonite.
In late years, paperboard industry is causing worsening of water quality due to increasing white-water closure. Bentonite adsorbs the causative agent of pitch troubles, and flocculant function improving drainage and retention response. By these effectiveness Bentonite enables reduction of additives, ultimately equipment clean up is being possible.

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Voith IHI Paper Technology Co., Ltd. is a full line supplier in the paper business providing full paper machines and all kind of consumables as Paper Machine Clothing and Process belts. This combined approach in terms of business and technology is one of our biggest advantages. We have Manufacturing plants, Technical service and sales offices all over the world. And we also have world-wide network of R&D including Voith Paper’s latest complete pilot machine. By optimizing our organization, We have been developing leading edge fabrics technology, for example, New generation SSB forming fabric “PrintForm⁄MultiForm I series”, Advanced treated Press fabric “E-Flex”, New designed Dryer Fabric “PrintTech⁄MultiTech PR” for Anti-contamination and Under Pressure Transmission.

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Oji paper group company is introducing renewable fuel boilers in order to contribute the mitigation of global warming and save fossil fuels. These boilers can utilize industrial waste fuels such as RPF (Refused Paper and Plastic Fuels) and TDF (Tire Derived Fuels) as well as a typical renewable fuel, such as Biomass fuels replaced from fossil fuels.
At our TOMIOKA Mill, a new boiler 320t⁄h, which can co-fire higher percentage of Fluff plastics, demolition woods, RPF, paper sludge and together with coal, was installed and started commercial operation in December 2008. The quality of these fuels is not stable because of fuel sources (waste). Higher percentage usage of those renewable fuels instead of coal indicates to bring higher chlorine and other harmful foreign materials into the furnace and makes longer stable operation difficult. In our boiler, corrosion of pressure parts and some parts in Bag filter were found in recent. A tube leak occurred in separator by a partially breaking of refractory.
By improvements of fuel management, maintenance, and repair methods in addition of a tighten operation checks reflecting the result of maintenance, planed6month periodic operation has been attained without major problems.
This paper reports the operational experience and trouble shooting of the new boiler.

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Due to high demand of the sheeter of good quality with moderate price not only the Japanese market but also international market, Maruishi took over the original sheeter technology and know-how from Pizzolato, a 65 year wellknown company in Italy, in April 2010 thus added “Maruishi-Pizzolato high-speed Full Synchro Folio Sheeter” into Maruishi portfolio.
In the past, Maruishi only focused on those high-end machines. The supplement of Maruishi-Pizzolato sheeters fills in the gap for Maruishi to offer middle-level sheeters so that Maruishi can expand our spectrum of machine supply to cater for the needs of various customers both in the paper mills and also the converting companies.

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About 25 years ago, charge measurement was seldom practiced by the paper industry. The zeta potential had long been known to be measurable at the time, but its nature and benefits was still not widely spread among users. BTG is going on to develop some chemical analyzers for the wet end of paper making process for a long time.
PCD for dissolved charge and SZP for fiber charge can enable papermakers to optimize chemical additions, to improve paper quality and in the end increasing productivity.
As Easier, Smaller, Smarter, Lighter, latest type PCD 04 and SZP 10 live up to its tagline, combining exceptional ease of use with small size, lightweight design and high performance.

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Vertical mill (VM) is one of the most effective pulverizer for various materials in many sectors. In cement manufacturing sector, in coal-fired power station and in steel-making industries, these VMs are most widely used in Japan. The parts in grinding zone of VM are rebuilt by hardfacing or replaced with new ones at certain period of time.
To realize less-emission of CO₂ gas, ecological cement which we call “Eco-cement” has started to be used and bio-mass fuel has also used in the field of paper and pulp manufacturing for bio-mass boiler in Japan. In pulverizing new material such as waste, wood chip, RPF and others, VM is apt to become more worn-out due to abrasion than before.
Welding Alloys Japan has been making rebuilding these VMs for more than 10 years and newly-developed technique by WA Japan is explained herein about “Smart welding”, “In-situ rebuilding” and the effect by these technologies.

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The 2012 TAPPI International Conference on Nanotechnology for Renewable Materials was held in Montreal, Canada, from June 4th to 7th, 2012. Over 200 attendees, representing 20 countries, participated in the conference. It also featured a tour of the CelluForce’s nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) manufacturing facility. This report is a review of the conference and some of the oral presentations.

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Kanzan Spezialpapiere GmbH, which is a member of Oji Group, was established in 1990. Up-to-date paper mill of Kanzan, Neumuhl mill in Duren, Nordrhein-Westfalen in Germany, is historically derived from Mr. Rutger von Scheven, who established a paper mill here in 1710 and achieved starting paper industry. Now over the past 300 years there located many paper mills with related companies and the other industries in the city where even a paper museum was founded.
Current Neumuhl mill is briefly introduced, as mill energy is generated by brown coal, which is a locally specialized source, and natural gas. And water supply is delivered from mill-adjacent river water, whose hardness is so-called middle soft. Working circumstances in Germany are noted, which is supposed to be quite different from that in Japan. Additionally trade exhibition for Kanzan is reported as an exhibitor or a visitor.
Development in Oji Imaging Media business as of today, especially related in direct thermal paper, become wide in overseas countries such as Germany as well as the U.S.A., Thailand, Brazil and China, where technology of Oji R&D has been integrated.

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[in Japanese]

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A new method on the coating layer uniformity was investigated. A method to characterize coating uniformity using a staining technique and a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) was proposed. Burn out tests are compared to the CLSM technique in terms of coating layer evenness. The coating mass distribution was calculated using image analysis software from both methods.
A reasonable correlation was found between the burn out test and CLSM observation when the fluorescent dye was not rinsed from the sample. The CLSM method made quantification of coating mass distribution more rapid than the burn out test.

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