Abstract: A paper sizing composition, comprising at least one first sizing component dispersed in water, the said sizing component being prepared of a reaction product of a maleic anhydride and a fatty acid component, and an aluminium component. The fatty acid component comprises an alkyl ester of one or more fatty acids selected from a vegetable oil based fatty acid mixture. The particle size of the particles in said first sizing component has been reduced so that in the dispersion at least 50% of the particles are <2.5 ?m, at least 75% of the particles are <4 ?m and at least 90% of the particles are <5 ?m, preferably so that at least 50% of the particles are <2 ?m, at least 75% of the particles are <3 ?m and at least 90% of the particles are <4 ?m.

Abstract: A cationic starch product, the making of it and its use. The starch product comprises starch (St) and a cationising reagent, which is made from choline or its synthetic equivalent, whereby the cationising reagent has reacted with a part of the hydroxyl groups of the starch according to the structure formula (VI) or (VII). The structure component A is a hydrocarbon chain. The substituents R are hydrogens; lower or higher acrylic alkly groups, substituted or unsubstituted cycloalklyl groups; substituted or unsubstituted aryl or heteroaryl groups; lower or higher alkyl groups or non-aromatic heterocyclic groups containing alkoxy groups or other hetero atoms.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing starch solutions of high cation equivalent value (with a DS of 0.1-1.0). The starch to be cationized, advantageously an oxidized starch, is slurried to form a suspension of about 10-80% solids content in an aqueous mixture of a cationizing agent. In the cationization 2,3-epoxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride or an equivalent chlorohydrin-functional cationizing agent is used by about 90-1100 g per kg starch solids, and a catalyst is added to the slurry. The reaction is carried out at a high solids content of 40-80%, preferably 50-60%, in at least two successive steps, in the first of which a temperature of about 5-40° C. is maintained, and in the second step a temperature of about 70-180° C.