Abstract
Tritium has been used to directly measure the exchangeable hydrogen in bleached softwood kraft pulp. The hydrogen atoms associated with hydroxyl groups in pulp or with water contained in the pulp can dissociate and exchange with the hydrogen atoms in bulk water. Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen and behaves almost identically to it. The distribution of tritium between pulp and water ($k_{pw}$) can be easily measured and becomes an index of the protons available fur hydrogen bonding. Bleached kraft pulp was refined in a PFI mill to a range of freenesses. Tritiated water was added and the amount exchanged measured. There was a slight steady increase in $k_{pw}$ until approximately 300 CSF; $k_{pw}$ then rose sharply between 300 CSF and 100 CSF. This rise appears to correlate with FSP. It is likely that the action of refining on the fiber reaches a threshold at about 300 CSF causing the fiber surface to break open creating exponentially more surface area. This theory is visually confirmed through light microscopy. The slow increase in fibrillation of the fibers above 300 CSF correlates with the increase in $k_{pw}$. Beyond the threshold of 300 CSF a dramatic difference in fibrillation is shown, also corresponding with the large increase in $k_{pw}$. The freeness difference around 300 CSF is small, but the change in fiber properties is extreme within this region. This change in properties could lead to sheet breaks and other disruptions when producing products around the threshold. This study leads to a better understanding of how fiber changes during refining, resulting in a practical benefit of target freeness determination. Presently, freeness is selected based on product quality and on some measure of runnability. Yet, there are other considerations, demonstrated by the extreme change in fiber properties around 300 CSF.