Softener composition

1. A softener composition for use in manufacture of a paper comprising:

a softener selected from: waxes such as paraffins; oils such as mineral oils, silicone oils, petrolatums or mixtures thereof; cationic surfactants such as imidazoline-based surfactants (quaternized or un-quaternized), fatty amines and their derivatives and salts, cationic silicone compounds, or mixtures thereof; nonionic surfactants such as fatty alcohols, fatty amides, fatty acid esters, ethoxylated alcohols, ethoxylated fatty acids, alkyl polyglucosides, ethoxylated alkyl phenols, ethleneoxide/propyleneoxide copolymers or mixtures thereof; anionic surfactants such as fatty acids, sulfonates, sulfates, carboxylates, alkyl phosphates, anionic silicone surfactants or mixtures thereof; lubricants; emollients such as lanolin, lecithin or mixtures thereof; a reaction product of 9-octadecenoic acid (9Z)- with diethylenetriamine, cyclized, diethyl sulfate quaternized, or dimethyl sulfate quaternized; or mixtures of any of the foregoing; and

an acidic material selected from phosphoric acid, boric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, formic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, lactic acid, adipic acid, malic acid, an acrylic acid-containing polymer, a conjugate acid of a weak base, an amine-containing polymer in partially or fully protonated form, or any mixture thereof,

wherein the softener composition has a relative acidity (RA) value of more than 0.05, the RA value calculated using the following equation

RA

=

TA

c

s

where TA is the total acidity of the composition in CaCO3 equivalent (g/l), c s is the concentration of softener (g/l) in the composition, and

wherein the softener reduces paper surface friction coefficient, increases paper surface lubricity, reduces paper stiffness, increases paper bulk, reduces paper strength (wet and dry), plasticizes paper and prevents fiber-fiber bonding (debonding) and wherein the composition further comprises glyoxylated polyacrylamide (GPAM).

2. The softener composition according to claim 1 , wherein the RA value is from 0.05 to 100.

3. The softener composition according to claim 1 , wherein the acidic material comprises a mixture of acids.

4. The softener composition according to claim 1 , wherein weight ratio of the softener to the acidic material is from 100:1 to 1:100.

5. The softener composition according to claim 1 , wherein the composition further comprises emulsifiers, stabilizers, couplers, defoamers, surfactants, wetting aids, paper strength aids or mixtures thereof.