Abstract
A method is described which allows prediction of alkaline pulp yield. It is based on an equation which relates the pulp yield to the cellulose content and cellulose degree of polymerization of the alkaline pulp. From the slope and intercept of this linear equation, the lignin-free pulp yield, \({\text{Y}}_{\text{T}}^{{\prime }}\), of a pulp sample can be calculated when the lignin-free cellulose content (\({\text{G}}^{{\prime }}\)) and the cellulose degree of polymerization (DP) of the pulp fiber are determined by sugar analysis and viscosimetry, respectively. In this paper the yield prediction equation is derived and validated using model celluloses and hemicelluloses. As part of the yield prediction method, a new equation was developed which corrects the cellulose degree of polymerisation obtained from the pulp intrinsic viscosity for the hemicellulose content of the pulp. The approach was successfully validated by cooking of cotton at different temperatures (160–180 °C), alkalinities (1.30–2.60 mol/L, the equivalent to an effective alkali (as Na2O) charge of 12–24 % at a L/W ratio of 4.0 L/kg), sulfidities (15 and 30 %) and anthraquinone charges (0, 0.05 and 0.1 %). The cellulose protecting effect of AQ was confirmed by the lower number of glucose units removed by alkaline peeling compared to that removed during conventional alkaline or kraft cooking.
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Abbreviations
- AQ:
-
Anthraquinone
- CED:
-
Cupriethylenediamine
- DMAC-Li:
-
Dimethylacetamide/lithium chloride
- HPAEC-PAD:
-
High performance anion exchange chromatography equipped with pulsed amperometric detector
- MCC:
-
Microcrystalline cellulose
- MHS:
-
Mark–Houwink–Sakurada equation
- MSA:
-
Metasaccharinic acid
- THF:
-
Tetrahydrofuran
- TOC:
-
Total organic carbon
- DP:
-
Average cellulose degree of polymerization in pulp
- DP0 :
-
Average degree of polymerisation in wood
- \({\text{G}}^{{\prime }}\) :
-
Lignin-free cellulose content of pulps
- TAPPI η:
-
Pulp viscosity measured according to TAPPI T 230 om-08 standard method
- x cell :
-
Cellulose mass fraction in mixtures with microcrystalline cellulose
- x MCC :
-
Microcrystalline cellulose mass fraction in mixtures with cellulose
- \({\text{Y}}_{\text{T}}^{{\prime }}\) :
-
Lignin-free pulp yield
- Yc :
-
Cellulose mass fraction of pulp based on wood
- Ycw :
-
Cellulose mass fraction of wood
- YCELL :
-
Lignin-free cellulose content of wood
- η:
-
Viscosity of the CED solution containing a given amount of dissolved cellulose
- η0 :
-
Viscosity of CED
- ηsp :
-
η/ηo ratio
- (ΔDP)P :
-
Number of glucose units removed by primary peeling before the stopping reaction
- (ΔDP)S :
-
Number of glucose units removed by secondary peeling before the stopping reaction
- [η]:
-
Pulp intrinsic viscosity measured according to SCAN C15:62/ISO5351 standard method
- [η] cell :
-
Cellulose intrinsic viscosity measured according to SCAN C15:62/ISO5351 standard method
- [η] MCC :
-
Microcrystalline cellulose intrinsic viscosity measured according to SCAN C15:62/ISO5351 standard method
- [η] mix :
-
Mixtures of cellulose and MCC or hemicellulose intrinsic viscosity measured according to SCAN C15:62/ISO5351 standard method
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank Andritz, Dionex, Domtar, Georgia-Pacific, and Pioneer for financial support for this project.
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da Silva Perez, D., van Heiningen, A. Prediction of alkaline pulping yield: equation derivation and validation. Cellulose 22, 3967–3979 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-015-0735-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-015-0735-7