Even in a digital world, paper has enormous utility for producers and consumers alike, from printing and packaging to cleaning, preparing food, art, and even construction. Further upstream from paper there is pulp, which can be found in coffee filters, clothing, stickers, and many other places.
Specialty chemicals in this sector deliver a variety of benefits, depending on the end product, such as brighter whites, improved print quality, enhanced strength, and better repelling of water, oil, and grease. These chemicals include:
- paper colorants
- sizing agents
- surface treatments
- debonders
- softeners
- strength additives
- bleaches such as sodium hypochlorite
- contaminant control agents.