A composition that improves a mechanical pulping process, said composition characterized in that is comprises: (a) about 0.05 weight percent to about 30 percent of a surfactant formulation having one or more surfactants including about 0.001 weight percent to about 5 weight percent of the alkyl alcohol alkoxylate surfactant, based on oven-dry pulp of an alkyl alcohol alkoxylate surfactant having formula RO[(CH 2 CHCH 3 O) X (CH 2 CH 2 O) Y]M; wherein R is C 4 to C 40 straight, branched, or ring alkyl, X is from 1 to about 50, Y is from 0 to about 100, and M is H or an alkali metal; (b) about 0.05 weight percent to about 50 weight percent of a chelant formulation having one or more chelants, wherein the chelant formulation includes one or more transitional metal chelants selected from the group consisting of: aminocarboxylates; aminophosphonates; polyphosphates; polyacrylates; organic phosphates; organic phosphonates; phosphates; carboxylic acids; dithiocarbamates; and combinations thereof; (c) about 0.05 weight percent to about 50 weight percent of a hydrotrope formulation having one or more hydrotropes, wherein the hydrotrope formulation includes one or more hydrotropes selected from the group consisting of: arylenesulfonates; carbohydrates having longchain aliphatic substituents; and combinations thereof; (d) optionally about 0.01 to about 50 weight percent of a reductive pulp modifier formulation having one or more reductive pulp modifiers, or about 0.01 weight percent to about 50 weight percent of an oxidative pulp modifier formulation having one or more oxidative pulp modifiers; (e) optionally an effective amount of one or more pH-controlling chemicals; and wherein the one or more surfactant are alkyl alcohol alkoxylates, including an about one-to-one or greater weight percent ratio of the hydrotrope to the chelant and/or including an about two-to-one or greater weight percent ratio of the hydrotrope to the surfactant. (a) about 0.05 weight percent to about 30 percent of a surfactant formulation having one or more surfactants including about 0.001 weight percent to about 5 weight percent of the alkyl alcohol alkoxylate surfactant, based on oven-dry pulp of an alkyl alcohol alkoxylate surfactant having formula RO[(CH 2 CHCH 3 O) X (CH 2 CH 2 O) Y]M; wherein R is C 4 to C 40 straight, branched, or ring alkyl, X is from 1 to about 50, Y is from 0 to about 100, and M is H or an alkali metal; (b) about 0.05 weight percent to about 50 weight percent of a chelant formulation having one or more chelants, wherein the chelant formulation includes one or more transitional metal chelants selected from the group consisting of: aminocarboxylates; aminophosphonates; polyphosphates; polyacrylates; organic phosphates; organic phosphonates; phosphates; carboxylic acids; dithiocarbamates; and combinations thereof; (c) about 0.05 weight percent to about 50 weight percent of a hydrotrope formulation having one or more hydrotropes, wherein the hydrotrope formulation includes one or more hydrotropes selected from the group consisting of: arylenesulfonates; carbohydrates having longchain aliphatic substituents; and combinations thereof; (d) optionally about 0.01 to about 50 weight percent of a reductive pulp modifier formulation having one or more reductive pulp modifiers, or about 0.01 weight percent to about 50 weight percent of an oxidative pulp modifier formulation having one or more oxidative pulp modifiers; (e) optionally an effective amount of one or more pH-controlling chemicals; and wherein the one or more surfactant are alkyl alcohol alkoxylates,