Team from Solenis recognized by TAPPI for their foam additives research


Each year, the TAPPI Journal (TJ) Editorial Board honors the best of TJ content by nominating and voting for the TAPPI Journal Best Research Paper, which is ultimately selected based on scientific merit, innovation, creativity, and clarity.

The winning paper, “Application of foamed additives to the surface of wet handsheets,” was authored by Terry Bliss with co-authors Mingxiang Lou and Matthew Nicholas. Bliss is a research fellow at Solenis, LLC in Wilmington, DE, while Luo is a global market development manager and Nicholas is a process research engineer, also with Solenis. The foam additives research appeared in the January 2021 issue and is now available as a free download.

“Concentrated at the intersection of sustainability and next generation technological advancement, this study is an impactful demonstration,” said TJ Editorial Board Member Scott Rosencrance. “The work combines foam form concepts with optimization of chemical additive application. Extending the window of operation for some specialty additives can allow continued evolution of wet-end system configurations, ultimately resulting in acceleration of commercial implementation of emerging production processes and grades.”

In addition to receiving Best Research Paper honors, Bliss will also be awarded the Honghi Tran TAPPI Journal Best Research Paper Prize. The $2,000 cash prize is endowed by Professor Emeritus Honghi Tran, Ph.D., of the University of Toronto and author or co-author of more than 80 papers published in TJ. Tran established the Prize in 2019 to encourage and reward the publication of high-quality research in TJ.

The award will be presented at TAPPICon, April 30-May 4, 2022 in Charlotte, NC, USA.