Abstract: The deposition of adhesive pitch particles from aqueous suspension of cellulose fibers is inhibited and, if desired, substantially prevented, from depositing on the surfaces of pulp-making equipment by adding to the suspension an anionic polymer containing at least about 25 mol percent but not more than about 85 mol percent of hydrophobic oleophilic linkages selected from the group comprising styrene, isobutylene, methylstyrene, allyl stearate, octadecyl acrylate, octadecene, dodecene, n-octadecylacrylamide, vinyl stearate and vinyl dodecyl ether and at least about 15 mol percent but not more than about 75 mol percent of hydrophilic acid linkages selected from the group comprising acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid, itaconic acid, acrylamidoacetic acid, maleamic acid and styrenesulfonic acid, forming a pitch-polymer complex of said particles and said polymer, and removing said complex with the water used to wash said cellulose fiber suspension thereby separating substantially all of the pitch-polymer