Arne Asplund Mechanical Pulping Award presented to a Norwegian fiber research group

Published Jun 04, 2003 10.03.00 +2 GMT

The Arne Asplund Mechanical Pulping Award 2003 has been presented to Dr. Torbjörn Helle, Mr. Per Olav Johnsen, Dr. Kjell-Arve Kure and Dr. Philip Reme, all from Norway, for their research on the characteristics of mechanical pulping fibers and relation to paper properties. The award ceremony was arranged in conjunction with the 2003 International Mechanical Pulping Conference in Québec City, Quebec, Canada.

The winners have jointly developed methods for quantitative determination of collapsibility and frequency of cell wall splitting in mechanical pulp fibers, in particular for the coarse fiber fraction. These methods are based on Scanning Electron Microscopy combined with image analysis. It has been shown that collapsibility and frequency of cell wall splitting are of the greatest importance to improve the properties of the fiber network in papers based on mechanically pulped fibers, in particular for evenness of the paper surface and for printability.

Dr. Torbjörn Helle was awarded a doctorate in paper physics from the Norwegian University of Technology in 1963. Since then he has been associated with the university, currently as a professor emeritus. Per Olav Johnsen graduated with a degree in chemical engineering in 1979 and has been associated with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, and with the Norwegian Pulp and Paper Research Institute (PFI), also in Trondheim, currently as a research scientist at PFI. Dr. Kjell-Arve Kure was awarded a doctorate in fiber physics from NTNU in 1999. He has been associated with PFI and Norske Skog Research, Halden, currently as a senior research scientist at Norske Skog Research. Dr. Philip Reme was awarded a doctorate in fiber physics from NTNU in 2000. He has been associated with PFI and Norske Skog Research and is currently a research director for paper at PFI.

The Arne Asplund Mechanical Pulping Award is presented at the International Mechanical Pulping Conference. The award was established in 1985 to promote the development of new technology for the manufacture of high-yield pulp in refiners. It commemorates the late Dr. Asplund's contribution to the pulp and paper industry, and is awarded to a person or persons in recognition of outstanding achievement in the research and development of mechanical pulping technology. The Arne Asplund Mechanical Pulping Award Foundation is sponsored by Metso Paper.

Metso Corporation is a global supplier of process industry machinery and systems. The Corporation's fiber and paper technology business area, Metso Paper, is the world's leading supplier of technology, systems and equipment for the pulp and paper industries. Metso's other core businesses are divided between Metso Minerals (rock and mineral processing) and Metso Automation (automation and control technology). In 2002, the net sales of Metso Corporation were EUR 4.7 billion and the personnel totaled approximately 28,500. Metso Corporation is listed on the Helsinki and New York Stock Exchanges.

More information: Dr. Nils Hartler, Royal Institute of Technology Chairman, Arne Asplund Mechanical Pulping Award Foundation Tel. +46 8 767 26 48 Ulf Hellberg, Vice President Mechanical Pulping, Metso Paper tel. +46 60 16 50 00