Composition and method for improving retention and drainage in papermaking processes by activating microparticles with a promoter-flocculant system

1. A method of improving retention and drainage in a papermaking process, the method comprising adding to a papermaking furnish, in any order: (a) an effective amount of a microparticle; (b) an effective amount of a promoter, wherein the promoter includes a modified diallyl-N,N-disubstituted ammonium halide polymer which is composed of more than 30 mole % and less than 70 mole % diallyldimethylammonium chloride monomer and between less than 70 mole % and more than 30 mole % acrylamide monomer, the modified diallyl-N,N-disubstituted ammonium halide polymer has an RSV of between 0.2 and 12 dL/g and a charge density of less than 7 miliequivalents/g polymer, and (c) an effective amount of a flocculent, wherein the flocculent includes one or more high molecular weight, water-soluble cationic, anionic, nonionic, zwitterionic, or amphoteric polymers having an RSV of at least about 3 dL/g wherein the combination of all three of (a), (b), and (c) increase the retention properties of a papermaking furnish beyond the performance of ionic, cross-linked polymeric microbeads having a diameter of less than about 1000 nm combined with a high molecular weight polysaccharide in the furnish, and

wherein the modified diallyl-N,N-disubstituted ammonium halide polymer has a cationic charge of about 1 to about 99 mole percent and was prepared according to the steps of:

(i) preparing an aqueous solution comprising one or more diallyl-N,N-disubstituted ammonium halide monomers and about 35 to about 85 percent of the total acrylamide monomer;

(ii) initiating polymerization of the monomers;

(iii) allowing the polymerization to proceed to at least about 5 percent diallyl-N,N-disubstituted ammonium halide monomer conversion and at least about 20 percent acrylamide monomer conversion; and

(iv) adding the remaining acrylamide monomer and allowing the polymerization to proceed to the desired endpoint.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the microparticle is a colloidal silica material.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the microparticle is one item selected from the list consisting of bentonite, colloidal silica, and colloidal borosilicate.

4. The method of claim 1 , including adding from about 1 to about 8 lb/tonne of the microparticle, based on dry furnish.

5. The method of claim 1 , including adding a synergistically effective amount of the promoter to the papermaking furnish.

6. The method of claim 1 , including adding from about 0.01 to about 10 kg/tonne of the promoter to the papermaking furnish, based on dry furnish.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the modified diallyl-N,N-disubstituted ammonium halide polymer has a cationic charge of about 1 to about 99 mole percent.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the modified diallyl-N,N-disubstituted ammonium halide polymer has an RSV from about 0.2 dL/g to about 12 dL/g and a charge density of less than about 7 meq/g polymer.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the modified diallyl-N,N-disubstituted ammonium halide polymer is selected from the group consisting of: inverse emulsion polymers, dispersion polymers, solution polymers, gel polymers, and combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the modified diallyl-N,N-disubstituted ammonium halide polymer has a charge density of less than about 7 meq/g polymer and an RSV of less than about 10 dL/g.

11. The method of claim 1 , including adding a synergistically effective amount of the flocculant to the papermaking furnish.

12. The method of claim 1 , including adding from about 0.005 to about 10 kg/tonne of the flocculent to the papermaking furnish, based on dry furnish.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the flocculant is selected from the group consisting of: dimethylaminoethylacrylate methyl chloride quaternary salt-acrylamide copolymers; sodium acrylate-acrylamide copolymers; hydrolyzed polyacrylamide polymers; and combinations thereof.

14. The method of claim 1 , including adding the microparticle at a point selected from the group consisting of: before a shear stage; after a shear stage; before the promoter; after the promoter; before the flocculant; after the flocculent; simultaneously with the promoter; simultaneously with the flocculant; pre-mixed with the promoter; pre-mixed with the flocculant; and pre-mixed with the promoter and the flocculant.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the addition of the microparticle and the promoter increases the opacity of the resulting paper by increasing the retention of fine furnish solids.

16. The method of claim 1 , including adding the promoter or the flocculent after a shear stage or before a shear stage.

17. The method of claim 1 , including adding the microparticle, the promoter, and/or the flocculent at any stage of the papermaking process, wherein each component is added either at a same stage or a different stage.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein said stage is selected from the group consisting of: tray water, dilution head box stream, thin stock, thick stock, and thin stock line.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the promoter is a modified diallyl-N,N-disubstituted ammonium halide polymer having a cationic charge of about 20 to about 80 mole percent prepared by polymerizing one or more acrylamide monomers and one or more diallyl-N,N-disubstituted ammonium halide monomers in the presence of about 0.1 to less than about 3,000 ppm, based on monomer, of one or more chain transfer agents and 1 to 1,000 ppm, based on monomer, of one or more cross-linking agents.