Business opportunities

Opportunities in of Wet-End Chemistry
Service and Consulting

Related links:

Technical Service Work (lab and pilot plant) provided by NC State University's Department of Wood and Paper Science

	Click here to learn about short-courses that could be presented at your location. These courses can be tailored to meet your company's needs for training, for "refresher" courses, or for advanced topics and consulting in papermaking chemistry..
	Click here to review the credentials of Martin Hubbe. This "CV" includes a list of selected articles that I have written on the subject of papermaking wet-end chemistry and a list of corporate clients.
	Click here to learn how your company can make use of the technical and physical capabilities of the Wet-End Chemistry program and the complete Wood and Paper Science program at NCSU.

Italian hand-made sculpture commemorating invention of the first continuous paper machine

Those seeking employment opportunities might consider some of the companies and organizations listed in our "links" page. The departmental sectretary or placement office at your university also can be of great help. In addition, the programs at NC State have a recurring, occasional need for post-doctoral research associates.

Short-Courses at Your Location:

Since about 1989 I have been delivering high-quality short courses on behalf of a diverse list of industrial clients (see list at the end of my curriculum vitae), with an effort to tailor the material to address critical needs, problem solving, and product development related to papermaking wet-end chemistry and allied subjects.

Does your company have a critical need for a better understanding of science and technology related to papermaking additives, cost-saving strategies, or papermaking process and product development? Can some of your people benefit from a better understanding of the basics… or of recent developments? If so, I would like to suggest a way to meet this need without requiring your people to travel.

Based on many cycles of targeted short-course delivery and consulting, working with many different clients (paper companies, chemical supplier companies, and equipment companies), what I usually recommend is that the client and I begin by defining key concepts that are most critical to be included in a “refresher” or highly targeted training session, where I can help your people to be up to speed in challenging topics within the field of papermaking chemistry. Then, where appropriate, such input can provide a lead-in so that I can work with a client’s technical team to bring state-of-art concepts to bear in solving critical problems.

To help hold down costs still further, I am offering the following options:

Targeted short-course presentation and highly interactive discussion, based on the client’s specific input and instructions of what to cover (requiring substantial additional preparation on my part)
Base rate if a company wants me to present a short-course in an area where I already have materials prepared (toggle down to see list).

Both of these options include any consulting input that I may provide during my visit. Option A, which I would recommend for most clients, involves an additional $500 per day of course presentation above the base rate (plus travel expenses) that I negotiate with the company for consulting, whereas Option B will be at my base consulting rate for the company (plus travel expenses).

The following is a list of topics for which I already have prepared extensive presentation material, so I am offering to present these courses without any extra charge beyond my base consulting rate.

List of “Ready to Present” Course Modules *
(Click any title in the following table to see a breakdown of the topics that can be covered)

Course ID	Subject matter	Days
A	Pulping unit operations and fibers for papermaking	1
B	Papermaking unit operations	1
C	Functional additives for papermaking	1
D	Process additives for papermaking	1
E	Chemistry of papermaking: Basics	1
F	Advanced topics in paper chemistry	1
G	Dry strength and wet strength development	1
H	Retention aids and their usage	1
I	Monitoring and control of charge	1
J	Evaluation of retention and drainage	1
K	Starch products for the wet end and size press	2
L	“Where did that come from? Deposit analysis	2
M	Cost-saving strategies involving wet-end chemistry	2
N	Sizing, hydrophobic agents for papermaking	0.5
O	Modules selected from within the preceding	Variable

* = no extra charge per day beyond my base consulting rate

Note that if there is interest, I would be able to present either one, two, or more of the courses from the above list, either in full or by selecting material that is likely to be of most critical importance to your company.

Please contact Marty Hubbe (919) 513-3022 (E-mail: hubbe@ncsu.edu) to follow up.

One of the great advantages of having a course at your own site is that we can tailor the contents to match your needs. Based on past experiences, the typical off-campus short course is likely to involve either one or two days of interactive lecture and case-study exercises. Usually it ends up with extensive discussions of how the subject matter can be applied in the client's operations.

The best, most useful courses will require careful preparation, so it is best to give me as much notice as possible. Also, we may have to schedule around other commitments and semester courses. Here are some of the subject areas for which I and my colleages are prepared to give courses at your site:

Japan TAPPI 2001 seminar in Tokyo

July 16, 2001

Here are some additional off-site short-courses that Marty Hubbe has presented earlier for various companies and organizations:

Acidic and Alkaline Sizing of Paper Papers	Massaschusetts	Oct. 21, 2004
Retention Aids: What, Why, and How	Internet virtual seminar	April and May 2004
The Invention of Paper - Its Impact on Culture and on our Lives	North Carolina	April 25, 2004
Strength Additives for Paper Manufacture" and "Retention Aid Strategies for Paper Manufacture"	China	March 17, 22, 26, 2004
Using the Paper Mill as a 'Reactor' for Multi-layer Surface Treatment of Fibers	Tennessee	March 11, 2003
Chemicals, Enzyme Applications, and Fractionation Technology Trends in Paper Manufacture	Korea	July 2002

Hands-On Wet-End Chemistry Workship	Tennessee	August 14-16, 2000
Analytical Chemistry Related to Papermaking	New York	August 2-3, 2000
Wet-End Chemistry Short Course	Taiwan	May 2-4, 2000
Colloidal Principles of Paper Chemical Formulation	Georgia	Feb. 10-11, 2000
Paper Machine Wet-End Chemistry of Starch	Michigan	July 19, 1999
Hardboard Process Chemistry	North Carolina	December 16-17, 1999
Wet-End Chemistry Related to ASA Sizing	Pennsylvania	May 10-11, 1999
Chemistry of Wet-Lay NonWovens Processing	North Carolina	April 21, 1999

Technical Services Provided to Industrial Clients:

Pilot paper machine, often used for contracted studies

Pulmac screen fiber length analysis

Tear & compression test equipment

Stock-prep tanks, pilot plant

Opportunities for your company to sponsor research at NCSU can take at least two main forms:

Grant support for publishable graduate research in an area where improved technological understanding is critical to your company. If some of your long-term research needs possibly could be met in this way, CLICK HERE and go to the "Corporate Partners" section of this website.
Technical service work in which the company requests routine analyses, using existing methods to obtain specific, confidential data in the short term. for more information about getting technical service work done, contact Wes Johnson , pilot plant manager. He can be reached at 919-515-7761.

Let us know if either of these areas can help you meet your objectives.

Pulp disintegrator used for paper recycling studies

Steam-heated dryer cans on the pilot paper machine

Information on this site is provided as a public service by Dr. Marty Hubbe of the Department of Wood and Paper Science at North Carolina State University. While the information is intended to be accurate, users of the information must accept full risk. When errors in the contents of this site are found, please send a message to the website caretaker by using the e-mail link provided below (final item):

EXPANDED LIST OF HUBBE SHORT-COURSES, WITH BREAKDOWN OF INCLUDED TOPICS

List of “Ready to Present” Course Modules *
(Click any title in the following table to see a breakdown of the topics that can be covered)

Course ID	Subject matter	Days
A	Pulping unit operations and fibers for papermaking A bit of history: Early pulp and paper Wood chemistry Fiber types and properties Kraft pulping Kraft recovery Thermomechanical pulping (TMP) Deinking and recycled fiber Bleaching basics	1
B	Papermaking unit operations Stock preparation: Stock characterization Refining (beating) Screening and cleaning Paper machine headbox and forming Wet pressing and drying Size press, calendering and creping Paper coating Grades of paper	1
C	Functional additives for papermaking Concepts and definitions Fillers: Types, amounts, & functions Sizing agents: Types, reasons for use Case study Dry strength additives Wet strength additives Colorants and whiteners	1
D	Process additives for papermaking Retention aids Drainage strategies Contaminant control Case study Foam control Lab methods for wet-end chemistry Typical wet-end chemistry for paper grades Process control issues	1
E	Chemistry of papermaking: Basics Basic composition of wood and cellulose Fibers and fiber quality Fillers and other mineral additives Starch and other polymer additives Water and how it affects paper components Adding chemicals at the wet end Size-press starch and additives Coating ingredients	1
F	Advanced topics in paper chemistry Advances in synthetic sizing agents Advances in dry-strength additives Advances in wet-strength additives Advances in retention & drainage additives Impact of papermaking on fiber properties Fiber modification	1
G	Dry strength and wet strength development Why paper strength is important Starch – our most-used dry-strength additive Cellulosic fibers Development of fiber-to-fiber bonds Theories of how starch contributes to strength Factors that hurt strength Strategies for use of cationic starch High-performance dry-strength additives The size press and related operations Dry-strength strategies in the research stage	1
H	Retention aids and their usage Definitions Why retention is important Mechanical factors Chemicals used to increase retention How retention aids work Interferences to retention aids Strategies for increasing retention aid efficiency Strategies for drainage and formation uniformity Control of retention	1
I	Monitoring and control of charge Origin of charge on surfaces in water Examples of charged materials in water Zeta potential and its measurement Streaming potential and its measurement Charge titrations: Colorimetric method Charge titrations: Streaming current Interpretation of charge data Deviations from stoichiometry of charges Research using a streaming potential device	1
J	Evaluation of retention and drainage Evaluation of retention and dewatering aids Reversibility of fiber flocculation by shear Multi-component treatment systems Pulsations during retention tests Results with cationic acrylamide copolymer Results with different retention aid systems Where to add retention aid	1
K	Starch products for the wet end and size press Starch applications Charge concepts Water chemistry Strength additives Retention Sizing Wet end addition of starch Size press addition of starch Paper properties affected by starch New directions in starch for paper	2
L	*“Where did that* come from?" Deposit analysis** Introduction & process overview Main ingredients of paper Chemical additives Interactions between (2) and (3) Sizing agents and other tacky materials Process-enhancing additives Control of deposits and other maladies Analytical tests for process control	2
M	Cost-saving strategies involving wet-end chemistry Losses (wasted materials, unrecovered broke, etc.) Slow production rate (fixed costs spread out over too few tons) Downtime (length of scheduled downtime, frequency and duration of unscheduled downtime) Inefficient use of functional additives (higher than necessary costs for sizing, dry strength, wet strength, opacity, retention aids, etc.) Process additives and their control (to reduce the standard deviations of measurable variables) Reduction in the amount of fiber needed to make a ton of product (including basis weights, filler levels) The amount of energy required to produce a ton of product (moisture out of the press section, vacuum energy, etc.) Reduction in the costs of handling chemicals	2
N	Sizing, hydrophobic agents for papermaking Acidic vs. alkaline size Rosin soap size Rosin emulsion size Alkenylsuccinic anhydride (ASA) Alkylketene dimer (AKD)	0.5
O	Modules selected from within the preceding	Variable

* = no extra charge per day beyond my base consulting rate