PAPER MAKING

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 22, 28 January 1929, Page 10

PAPER MAKING

A LOCAL INDUSTRY

FUTURE POSSIBILITIES

INVESTIGATION OF WOODS

Since its inception in 19111 the forest products branch of the New Zealand State l(lorcst Service has been studying the pulping and papermakj.ng properties of New Zealand woods, including both native and exotic species. The results of these technical investigations were presented to the forestry section of the Science Congress at Auckland on I'Mday in a report by Mr. A. E. Entiiuiiii, engineer in fvreVst products for Ihu New Zealand State, l^orest Service. Ono of Mr. Entrioan's most striking conclusions is that it is possible that New Zealand may 'become eventually ;i. large exporter of Sorest produce, including both pulp and paper.

Altogether, fifteen New Zealandgrown woods were .examined, including three native softwoods, four introduced softwoods, and eight native hardwoods. Of the softwoods;, .insignis pine and kahikatca yielded strong, but somewhat creamy grouiulwojod pulps, sulphite i pulps of fairly good colour, and strong sulphate pulps foir wrappings, etc. Riinu, too, yielded by the sulphite, sulphate and soda processes, a good grade of "kraft" stock, and although only a soda "kraft" pulp ha^i been produced from kauri, just as gffod a product should be obtainable by 'the sulphate ' process. Wrapping papers, etc., of medium strength can b« manufactured from the remaining scditwoods —Austrian pine, Corsican pine, r and European larch. HARDWOOJDS FOE BOOK PAPER, Tawa yioldiod a wider variety of pulps (him any of the other hardwoods tested. Tawa groui'idwood was usable as a white filler,.! tawa unbleached sulphite for a new" 'jtype of newsprint, and tawa bleached soda and sulphite pulp for book papec, etc. Although tested by a variety,of processes, the commercial possibilities of the remaining hardwoods, especially black beech, mountain bee'/h, red beech, silver beech, and kamalii appeared to be limited to the production of bleached soda pulps for book aiiid similar papers. EXPT/RTINa FOREST PRODUCE.

On flic practical question whether any p nip can be made cheaply in sufficient quantities and of a quality which will enable it to, compote with other paper.making materials, Mr. Entrican .says;—" Under existing conditions, it is true, there are few, if any, localities in Novr Zealand where tho necessary raw niiiicrial may -be procured cither in quantity or at such a price as would on able a pulp and paper mill to compete w't'lfh foreign producers. But, as foreign wood supplies become scarce, large volumes of intermediate products . will biocomo available from tho man-made i'.'orests in various regions. ■ These will Meato favourable conditions for the oyeration of all classes of pulp mills, v/hosc main source of raw material re<quircs to be in the form of round pro- ; ducts.

"Supplementary supplies of logging nnd mill waste will then bo usable from 1 adjacent native forests. Indeed, it is possible- that New' Zealand may become eventually a largo exporter of forest produce, including both pulp and paper. Some indication of this can bo drawn from .the fact that, in addition to the forest areas required for the perpetuation of the Dominion's domestic wood supplies, there is available an area of over 5",000,000 acres of land capable of producing at least 250 cubic feet of wood per acre,per annum. This rate, of growth is several times greater than that in North America and in Scandinavian countries, where the pulp and paper industries are largely centred. DOMINION'S PAPER CONSUMPTION. "The local production,of domestic requirements in such important commodities as pulp and paper is in itself a matter of national economic importance. The average annual importation of pulp and paper products into Now Zealand is valued at over £1,000,000, representing over -10,000 tons of paper, including 22,000 tons oi! nowsprint, 5000 tons of other printings, over 5000 tons of cardboard, etc., 2000 tons of kraft wrappings, 2000 tons of writings, etc., 3000 tons of wood pulp, and the remainder miscellaneous papers, etc. The local production of paper is about 3000 tons, principally wrappings, and the total annual consumption, therefore, about 44,000, equivalent to 691b per capita. This is the fourth highest per capita consumption in the world, being exceeded only in North America, Great Britain, I and Australia.

"As a result of previous tests, and having regard to the various woods and pulp and paper markets available, arrangements were made whereby the pulping and papermaking properties of

six New Zealand-grown woods were investigated by the Forest Products Laboratory, maintained by tlio United States Forest Service at Madison, Wisconsin. The woods, studied included the native softwood —rimu —four introduced softwoods —insignis pine, Comcan pine, Austrian pine, and European larch, and the native hardwood, tawa. Supported as they are by studies of the physical properties of pulps and papers I produced both on .a laboratory and a i full commercial scale, these results are of a practical and far-reaching signiiicance and sufficiently conclusive to warrant the establishment of the industry should adequate pulp-wood become available. v ' NEWSPRINT SUCCESSFULLY PRODUCED. "The primary objective of the investigation, namely, the production of newsprint, was successfully achieved, a high grade sheet being obtained by the combination of suitable proportions of insignia pine sulphite, and tawa sulphite and groundwood. A sheet of somewhat poorer colour but good strength, was produced by the standard softwood mixture of insignis pine sulphite and groundwood. Only three woods, rimu, tawa, and insignis pine, were successfully reduced by the sulphite process. The experiments with rimu indicate that the unbleached pulp is too dark for use in newsprint, but suitable for wrappings, etc. Insignis pine can be reduced to a suitable quality of pulp for' use unbleached in newsprint, the yields, colour, and strength quality approaching those of spruce sulphite. It appears to bleach readily. "Tawa yielded a sulphite pulp which proved useful with suitable processing for a new typo of newsprint. With somewhat different cooking conditions, tawa also yielded an easily blcachable pulp suitable for book stock. AH five softwoods, rimu, Corsican pine, Austrian pine, insignis pine, and European larch, were reduced without difficulty by the sulphate process, rimu producing the best pulp, with the remaining woods following in the order given. Pulped by the semi-kraf t process, rimu, insignis pine, and larch yielded much darker and 3omowhafc inferior pulps, which, however, appeared promising for lower trades of kraft papers and for boards, etc. Tawa soda pulps, although somewhat weak, possess excellent bulk and will serve for book and similar grades of paper." ' j|