Introduction
A paper machine runs around the clock, and every hour it runs, deposits build on wires, felts, dryer fabrics, rolls and piping. Left alone, they choke permeability and drainage.
Solenis links uncontrolled organic contaminants and inorganic scale to lost production, sheet defects and unscheduled shutdowns.
This guide covers cleaning and conditioning chemistry only. Pulping, bleaching, coating, sizing and retention chemicals are papermaking process chemicals that serve a different purpose.
Below you'll find the main cleaner families, a selection and safety framework, sustainability guidance, and how Greystone approaches these jobs.
Key Takeaways
- The right cleaner depends on the soil, equipment material, method, water and wastewater limits.
- Alkaline, acidic, surfactant, chelant, deposit-control and microbial products are not interchangeable.
- Validate any choice with SDS review, compatibility checks and a controlled trial.
- Pairing chemistry with hot water, pressure and mechanical action can improve consistency.
Paper Mill Cleaning Chemicals: What They Are and Why Mills Need Them
Cleaning chemicals remove or control deposits on equipment and production areas. Process chemicals, by contrast, are added to pulp, stock or coatings to change the paper itself. Mills keep contaminant control separate from retention, drainage, colorants, sizing and strength applications.
Common deposits and what they do
Which deposits matter depends on your furnish and process. Typical ones include:
- Mineral scale: tied to production loss, defects and shutdowns.
- Pitch and tar: stick to forming fabrics; recycled furnish adds binder and glue contamination.
- Stickies: plug wires and felts, reduce drainage, and leave deposits on press rolls and dryers.
- Starch and oils: organic contaminants that foul press felts.
- Biofilm and slime: cause heat-transfer fouling, scale promotion and microbiologically influenced corrosion.
- Dryer-fabric deposits: block pores, lower air permeability and impair runnability.
The downstream effects are familiar: reduced drainage, sheet defects, odor, corrosion, downtime and shorter fabric life.
Where cleaning happens
- Forming wires, press felts and dryer fabrics
- Rolls, showers, piping and tanks
- Stock-preparation equipment
- Floors and hard-to-reach surfaces
A cleaning program also has to work around continuous production. Water temperature, pressure, contact time, rinsing, wastewater treatment and equipment materials all matter, as does returning machinery to service safely.
Types of Cleaning Chemicals Used Across a Paper Mill
Alkaline cleaners and degreasers
Alkaline chemistry saponifies organic deposits such as oils, grease and some resinous or starch soils. Concentration and exposure must match the substrate. Fabric makers advise caution: AstenJohnson warns that forming-fabric chemical resistance drops at higher temperatures and says to avoid concentrated alkalis.
One manufacturer case shows the approach in practice. A recycled tissue mill had towel-machine breaks and speed loss after four weeks of felt life.
After permeability scans, felt analysis and cleaning studies, Aries applied a moderately alkaline cleaner by on-the-fly batch washing. Reported felt life reached six to seven weeks. That is one vendor's result, not an industry benchmark.
Acidic cleaners and descalers
Acids dissolve carbonate scale and some inorganic deposits. Identify the mineral first. Cristini cautions that sulfuric acid on calcium-carbonate felt deposits can precipitate calcium sulfate and plug the felt.
Before any acid goes on equipment, plan for:
- Corrosion risk
- Ventilation
- Neutralization and rinsing
- Wastewater controls
Surfactants, chelants and deposit-control chemistry
Surfactants improve wetting and dispersing. Chelants and sequestrants tie up metal ions, but dissolved ions already in shower water can consume them before they reach felt soils, so water chemistry matters. None of these is a universal cleaner.
AstenJohnson also distinguishes cleaning, which removes contaminants, from continuous conditioning with dispersants, polymers and surfactants, which prevents them. Buckman reports an enzyme-based boilout with equivalent or better cleaning and shorter cleaning time.
Microbial-control and conditioning chemistry
Slimicides and biocides are a separate category from surface cleaners and from furnish additives. Biodispersants loosen biofilm so microbicides can reach the organisms.
These products are regulated. Under FIFRA, EPA registration is generally required, and use inconsistent with the label is prohibited.
One current label, for BUSAN 30, warns of corrosivity, skin burns and irreversible eye damage, and requires closed loading in paper mills. That is one product, not a rule for all slimicides. Get qualified technical review before using any antimicrobial.
How to Choose and Use Cleaning Chemicals Safely
Identify the soil, equipment and objective
Start with the deposit, then the surface, temperature, available pressure and mechanical action. Document the problem so a trial has a target:
- Record the symptom: scale, lost permeability, recurring buildup, odor, defects or downtime.
- Analyze the deposit, fabric and water. Solenis lists deposit, felt, sheet-defect and water analyses.
- Set a measurable objective before the trial begins.
Verify compatibility and operating constraints
Check chemistry against metals, elastomers, coatings, fabrics, seals, concrete and painted surfaces, plus the wastewater system. AstenJohnson guidance varies by position:
- Forming fabrics: evaluate chemical resistance individually; avoid concentrated acids, alkalis, phenolics and strong bleach; no high-pressure steam.
- Dryer fabrics: polyester and PPS can chemically degrade, and ultra-high-pressure cleaning can damage fabric.
- Press felts: hydraulic showers loosen contamination, sometimes with chemical showers.
Hardness, pH, temperature, contact time, rinsing and foaming all shift performance and risk. Never mix products unless the label and technical documentation explicitly allow it.
Acid plus hypochlorite releases toxic chlorine gas. The Chemical Safety Board has also reported hydrogen sulfide generation when sulfuric acid met high-pH sulfur-containing mill fluids.
Follow U.S. safety and handling requirements
| Requirement | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Hazard Communication, 29 CFR 1910.1200 | Labels, SDSs and worker training |
| 1910.132 | Hazard assessment, PPE selection, fit and training |
| 1910.151(c) | Quick-drenching or flushing facilities where corrosives may contact eyes or body |
| 1910.147 | Lockout/tagout for servicing and cleaning with hazardous energy |
| 1910.146 | Permit-required confined spaces; not every vessel qualifies |
| 40 CFR Part 430 | EPA effluent guidelines for pulp, paper and paperboard |
OSHA also has a mill-specific standard, 29 CFR 1910.261. Your facility EHS professionals should confirm which obligations apply, including state rules. Keep cleaning chemicals distinct from process chemicals that carry toxic-gas, oxidizer or reactive hazards.
Validate before full-scale adoption
Run a controlled trial in a defined area with documented dilution and application conditions. Inspect before and after, verify the rinse and review equipment condition. Track what applies to your mill:
- Cleaning time, water use and chemical consumption
- Fabric permeability and drainage
- Interval between repeat buildup
- Downtime and labor
- Wastewater parameters under your permit
These are trial measures, not universal targets.
Building a More Sustainable Cleaning Program
Judge sustainability across the whole system:
- Chemical volume
- Water, heating energy, and rinse demand
- Packaging and worker exposure
- Wastewater load
- How often you must re-clean
Mechanical action can cut chemical demand. A Voith vendor case at a Midwest corrugated-medium mill describes continuous dryer-fabric cleaning that replaced biweekly manual cleaning. The approach reduced chemical need, though the case does not state a specific percentage. The trade-off is real, since heat and pressure can damage fabric, so any combination must be validated for each mill.
Avoid unsupported "green" claims. The FTC Green Guides caution against unqualified "eco-friendly" language, and certification doesn't remove the need to substantiate claims. EPA's Safer Choice criteria for surfactants look at biodegradation and aquatic toxicity, which is the kind of ingredient-specific evidence worth asking for.
Measure at the facility level:
- Chemical use per cleaning event
- Water and energy per cleaning event
- Waste generated
- Equipment reliability and fabric life
Industry-wide figures give context only. AF&PA's 2025 report shows member mills' purchased energy use in 2022 was 13.7% below 2005, but that isn't a cleaning saving.
How Greystone Supports Paper Mill Cleaning Challenges
Greystone is an industrial cleaning solutions company serving paper mills and other manufacturers. It is the parent of Tri-Solve Chemicals and HelioJET, and builds facility-specific strategies for hard cleaning jobs.
Tri-Solve plant-based chemistries cover fabric and felt cleaning and conditioning, machine surface cleaning, and system and deposit-control programs. HelioJET adds high-pressure hot-water and steam equipment. The two are matched by application, not sold as a one-size-fits-all fix. These programs are interlocked with the paper machine to prevent premature cleaning, and follow defined procedures for each process.
Greystone can help you:
- Assess deposits and match chemistry to equipment and conditions
- Develop safe procedures
- Support trials
- Set measurable goals for compliance, safety, efficiency, sustainability and reliability
For deposits in approach piping and headboxes where a full boilout is impractical, Greystone also offers Bubble-Up foam cleaning. Discuss each application with technical services before you commit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What chemicals do paper mills use?
Mills use process chemicals added to the stock and cleaning chemicals applied to equipment. Cleaning categories include alkaline cleaners, acid descalers, surfactants, deposit-control products and, where appropriate, microbial control.
What are the main additives used in papermaking?
Common categories include sizing, retention and drainage aids, fillers, strength additives, dyes, coatings, and pulping or bleaching chemicals. They are not automatically cleaning products.
Is it safe to work in a paper mill?
Safety depends on the process, chemical hazards, equipment, training, PPE, ventilation and emergency controls. BLS reported 2.5 recordable injury and illness cases per 100 full-time workers in 2024 for pulp, paper and paperboard mills (NAICS 3221). Following site procedures and U.S. requirements is essential.
What chemicals dissolve paper?
Water, heat and mechanical action disperse fibers, but cellulose itself is water-insoluble. Strong acids, alkalis and oxidizers create serious hazards and should never be tested outside controlled industrial procedures.
How do paper mill cleaning chemicals differ from papermaking chemicals?
Cleaning chemicals remove deposits from equipment and production areas. Papermaking chemicals are added to pulp, stock or coatings to change the paper's properties.
How should paper mill cleaning chemicals be selected?
Evaluate the soil, substrate, process conditions, worker and environmental hazards, wastewater requirements and trial results. Use SDSs, technical documentation and qualified EHS or supplier personnel to support the decision.
