Cationized tannins as a retention aid for cellulose fibre Daniel Bäckström   Abstract The purpose of this study was to try cationized tannins as a potential retention aid for cellulose fibres in papermaking and to compare their potential with starch which already is commonly used. The study also tried to find other advantages with using tannins as a retention aid. Synthetic retention aids like polyacrylamide is also commonly used in papermaking, with good results. Synthetic retention aids are long-lived and their long-term effect on the environment is unkown. Therefore the demands are growing for more bio-degradable products. Measure glass, turbidity removal and COD was used in this study to analyse tannins as a retention aid on cellulose fibres. The results showed very clear water and a higher flocculation compared to the glass without tannins. 500 ppm tannins added to recycled fibres showed the best results for both flocculation and clear water as well as the highest turbidity removal, from 85 to 24 FTU. Different tannins was used in this study, and Tanfloc from the bark of the Acacia tree showed the best results. In the comparison between cationized starch and Tanfloc, Tanfloc showed better results for both flocculation and clearer water. Tannins shows potential as a retention aid for cellulose fibres, but clearer water and higher flocculation is not enough to determine tannins as a retention aid. They also show potential to solve the problem with bacteria in paper making because of their antibacterial effect. However, more tests and other methods needs to be done to show tannins potential as a retention aid.