NEW ZEALAND FLAX

Hokitika Guardian, 19 November 1930, Page 7

NEW ZEALAND FLAX

PAPER-MAKING EXPERIMENTSTESTS IN AMERICA. That New Zealand flax is suitable for high-grade fine paper and strong wrapping paper is the opinion expressed by the United States Bureau of Standards after samples had been examined. The official report of the paper division of the bureau, is as follows:

“Both laboratory and semi-com-mercial paper-making experiments were made through a test procedure essentially the same as that generally obseived in paper production. Test cooks of the fla.x were made, using as reducing agents caustic soda, caustic soda and sodium sulphide combined, and sodium sulphite and caustic soda separately. Good bag or wrapping paper pulp was produced by cooking the flax with the caustic soda process, using comparatively small amounts of caustics (10 per cent A. With larger amounts of caustic (25 per cent.), the pulp could he bleached with about 14 to 16 per cent, of bleach and was then suitable to use ill admixture with other pulps in making fine papers. In the semi-dOthmercial tests the yield of airdried unbleached pulp from the 25 per cent, caustic cook of UUSCUtched ■ New Zealand flax was 57.2 per cent., linsed on the bone-dry weight of the flax, while the laboratory test yielded 57.7 per cent. , “This shows a very close checking of result/s as to yield between the laboratory and semi-commercial tests when similar cooking conditions and amounts of chemicals were employed. When 19 ner cent of caustic was used the yield of unbleached pulp was 77.4 per 'cent. However, this polo was suited only for wrapping pnrwr. as contrasted with the pulp obtained from D- 25 per cent caustic soda cook, which could be bleached and the resultant pulp made satisfactory for use in fine paper. Unscutched flaxcooked with 15 per cent of caustic rod a and 10 per cent of sodium sul - phide combined gave a yield, of, 6nor cent, The pulp obtained . was satisfactory for use in wrapping -paper.