Since the mid of the 1980s, the uses of enzymes within the pulp and paper industry have grown up quickly. Whereas several applications of enzymes within the pulp and paper business are still within the analysis and development stage, many applications have found their approach into the mills in a very short interval. Currently, the foremost necessary applications of enzymes are pre bleaching of wrapping paper pulp. Xylanase enzymes are found to be handiest for pre bleaching purposes of paper pulp provide various benefits like reduced use of chlorine, and increasing the brightness, etc.
The process of pulp drainage is improving with regular practicing of industrial enzymes at the mill scale. Enzymatic deinking has additionally been applied with success throughout mill trials and might be expected to expand within the application as per the increasing demand of the paper to be deinked and recycled.
Enzymatic Deinking
The current deinking methods mostly involve the deinking of chemical pulping in an alkaline environment. Moving to a neutral deinking system which can employ neutral/alkaline enzyme classes needs some changes in the chemical structure of the system but can result in improvements in both the process and the final product. This may result in the improved pulp cleanliness, improved operation of the grey-water loops, less deposit potential, and a brighter final pulp.
DIP strength improvement
By increasing fiber contact and bonding, fibrillating enzymes work on the fiber surface and induce fibrillation and improve the strength of paper. Preparing the fiber increasingly susceptible to refiner blade action reduces the need for conventional refining and a large decrease in pulp freeness can be produced at light refining action by blades. On the opposite hand, Fine Hydrolysing enzymes are appropriate for reducing fines in slow stock, leading to higher machine speed and higher drying, while not compromising properties.
Industrial Enzymes in Coating
In the manufacture of coated papers, a starch-based coating formulation is employed to coat the surface of the paper. The coating provides improved gloss, smoothness and printing properties compared to the uncoated product. Raw starch is unsuitable for this application since the flow properties would be unsuitable. In one case, chemically changed starch with a far lower resolution consistency is employed. As an economical alternative to modifying the starch with aggressive oxidizing agents, the starch can be treated with alpha-amylase enzymes to obtain the same viscosity reduction.
Industrial enzymes offer a broad range of applications in the paper and pulp industry. The future premises of the industrial enzymes involves the removal of slime, xylan, and shives and fermenting of pulp fiber, etc.