The chemistry of aluminum salts in papermaking

Alum and related aluminum salts are used extensively in a variety of papermaking operations. The versatility of these aluminum additives stems from the ability of the various aluminum species to adsorb and interact with the other materials in the papermaking system. Underlying these interactions is the aqueous chemistry of the aluminum ion. A review of the current views on the aqueous chemistry of the aluminum ion and papermaking aluminum chemistry is presented. Application of the aqueous aluminum equilibria to aluminum adsorption and alum-rosin sizing are also discussed.