Acacia - The Fibre of Choice

The role of short fibre pulp - Mixed Harwood, Eucalyptus, Aspen, Birch, etc for the manufacture of different grades of paper is very well recognized. At the same time, lots of efforts are in progress to maximize the advantages while preserving their own special property. Bleached Acacia Kraft Pulp (BAKP) is comparatively new entry but gained quick recognition. BAKP was introduced to the world market by South East Asian suppliers in the late 1990's. This paper discusses in detail the role and opportunities of use of short fibre pulps. A logical technical comparison has been made between BAKP and another short fibre grades. BAKP being a short, thin-walled fibre shows several similarities with Eucalyptus pulp in terms of good bulk and stiffness. Refining energy and strength properties are very similar, but the shorter fibres and thinner cell walls give an outstanding opacity and formation compared to other commercial short fibre pulps. The collapsed and band-shaped nature gives a matchless smoothness, enabling less calendaring and exceptional printing properties. BAKP is shown to give several advantages to fine paper manufactures, compared with a number of established short fibre pulps such as Brazilian and Chilean Eucalyptus, Canadian Aspen and Indonesian Mixed Hardwood. It is important to consider refining and calendaring conditions to achieve optimum performance. For outer layers of multiply board, Acacia gives excellent coverage due to its high opacity and uniform fibre distribution. Its low roughness property gives improved printability. For tissue products, Acacia gives unique property of superior softness both in terms of hand feel and bulk softness. The high fibre population gives an impression of much higher quality due to the higher opacity and good formation.