Cartapip™: a biopulping product for control of pitch and resin acid problems in pulp mills

Fungi and Their Enzymes for Pitch Control in the Pulp and Paper Industry

“…A 90% decrease of triglycerides causing pitch problems in the manufacture of mechanical and acidic sulfite pulps was reported after Cartapip treatment of pine wood (Farrell et al 1993). The capabilities of some Ophiostoma species and other sapstain fungi in removing different classes of lipophilic extractives were assessed for both softwoods (Table 17.1) and hardwoods (Table 17.2).…”

“…They cause the discoloration of sapwood tissues, due to the presence of melaninlike pigments in the fungal hyphae (Zimmerman et al 1995), but only a limited degradation that mainly affects extractives and water-soluble components (Martínez et al 2005). Since most lipophilic compounds involved in the formation of pitch deposits are concentrated in wood rays and resin canals, the sapstain fungi were the first candidates for the biological control of pitch (Brush et al 1994;Farrell et al 1993). Sapstain, also called blue stain, is caused by different pioneer colonizers, such as Ophiostoma, Ceratocystis, Leptographium or Sphaeropsis species, which utilize fatty acids, triglycerides, simple carbohydrates, and other components of the sapwood (Farrell et al 1993).…”

“…Since most lipophilic compounds involved in the formation of pitch deposits are concentrated in wood rays and resin canals, the sapstain fungi were the first candidates for the biological control of pitch (Brush et al 1994;Farrell et al 1993). Sapstain, also called blue stain, is caused by different pioneer colonizers, such as Ophiostoma, Ceratocystis, Leptographium or Sphaeropsis species, which utilize fatty acids, triglycerides, simple carbohydrates, and other components of the sapwood (Farrell et al 1993). In addition, these fungi can rapidly colonize non-sterile wood chips.…”

Wood production, wood technology, and biotechnological impacts

“…The U.S. product Cartapip 97® is a market formulation of such an albino Ophiostoma piliferum mutant that was originally designed as a pitch control agent of wood chips prior to pulping. As a side effect, treated wood chips showed better resistance to infection of other micro-organisms including sapstain fungi , Farrell et al 1993, Dorado et al 2000. This prompted to apply the mutant in the laboratory or in fields on freshly sawn wood before challenging with other sapstain fungi.…”

Bacterial Biodegradation of Extractives and Patterns of Bordered Pit Membrane Attack in Pine Wood

“…Sapwood-staining fungi, which are responsible for reducing extractives in logs and wood chips when they are seasoned, are considered to be detrimental since they discolor wood, reduce pulp brightness, and lower paper quality. Colorless or albino strains of sapwood-staining fungi have been used with success to treat wood before pulping to reduce pitch and the problems associated with it during the paper-making process (5,7,13).…”