Enhanced method for monitoring the deposition of organic materials in a papermaking process

1. A method for monitoring the deposition of one or more organic materials dispersed in an aqueous medium in a papermaking process comprising: measuring the rate of deposition of the organic materials from the aqueous medium on-to a quartz crystal microbalance having a top side contacting with the aqueous medium coated with a layer containing a cured non-swelling epoxy resin or a silicone containing polymer, and a second, bottom side isolated from the aqueous medium.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said papermaking process involves recycled pulp and/or broke.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said organic materials are hydrophobic organic materials, stickies, tackies, white pitch, synthetic contaminants in a papermaking process, wood pitch, natural contaminants in a papermaking process, or a combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said stickies are microstickies.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said microstickies do not exceed approximately 0.10-0.15 mm.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein said stickies and tackles are selected from the group consisting of: adhesives; coating binders; styrene butadiene rubber; ethylene vinyl acetate; polyvinyl acetate; polyvinyl acrylate; polyvinyl butyral; polybutadiene; wax; alkyd resins; polyol acrylates; and sizing chemicals.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the top side of the quartz crystal microbalance is made of one or more conductive materials selected from the group consisting of: platinum; titanium; silver; gold; lead; cadmium;

diamond-like thin film electrodes with or without implanted ions; silicides of titanium, niobium and tantalum; lead-selenium alloys; mercury amalgams; and silicone.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the resin is derived from epichlorohydrin and bisphenol A.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said resin contains an aromatic backbone, aliphatic backbone, cycloaliphatic backbone, or a heterocyclic backbone.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said resin is selected from the group consisting of: a cresol-novolac epoxy resin; a phenol novolac epoxy resin; a bisphenol F epoxy resin; a polynuclear phenol-glycidyl ether-derived resin; a tetraglycidylmethylenedianiline-derived resin; a triglycidyl-p-aminophenol derived resin; a triazine-derived resin; and a hydantoin epoxy resin.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the silicone containing polymer is selected from the group consisting of: silicone rubber, and room temperature vulcanizing silicone rubber.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the monitoring occurs in a papermaking process at a location selected from the group consisting of: pulp processing; recycling; a refiner, a repulper; a bleaching chest; a deinking stage; a water loop; a headbox of a paper or tissue machine, and a combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said aqueous medium is a pulp slurry.

14. A method for measuring the effectiveness of inhibitors that decrease the deposition of one or more organic materials in a papermaking process comprising:

a. monitoring one or more organic materials dispersed in an aqueous medium in a papermaking process comprising measuring the rate of deposition of the organic materials from the aqueous medium onto a quartz crystal microbalance having a top side contacting the aqueous medium coated with a layer containing a non-swelling epoxy resin or a silicone containing polymer, and a second, bottom side isolated from the aqueous medium;

b. adding an inhibitor that decreases the deposition of the organic materials from the aqueous medium; and

c. re-measuring the rate of deposition of the organic materials from the aqueous medium onto the coated surface of the quartz crystal microbalance.

15. A method for measuring the effectiveness of inhibitors that decrease the deposition of one or more organic materials in a papermaking process comprising:

a. monitoring one or more organic materials dispersed in an aqueous medium that simulates a papermaking process comprising measuring the rate of deposition of the organic materials from the aqueous medium onto a quartz crystal microbalance having a top side contacting the aqueous medium coated with a layer containing a non-swelling epoxy resin or a silicone containing polymer, and a second, bottom side isolated from the aqueous medium.

b. adding an inhibitor that decreases the deposition of the organic materials from the aqueous medium; and

c. re-measuring the rate of deposition of the organic materials from the aqueous medium onto the coated surface of the quartz crystal microbalance.