Solving Volatile Fatty Acids Issues in Recycled Packaging Operations

From World Pulp & Paper 2016

All grades of paper can have a problem with odour. The problem can be in the paper or as part of the operation. The cause of odour problems fall into two main groups: chemical and microbiological. The microbiologically-caused problems occur more often than the chemical- and this is especially so with recycled packaging grades. When investigating an odour problem, an understanding of the possible causes is important. This article focuses on volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and the issues they can cause in recycled packaging grades.