Of unbleached, sulfate pulps

When chlorine dioxide is used for pulp bleaching in conjunction with the Kraft (sulfide) process for chemical pulping, by-product sodium sulfate can be used as a source of makeup sulfur and sodium consumed in the chemical cycle. The demand for sodium and sulfur in pulp bleaching is related to the loss of these chemicals through carryover in unbleached pulp. As process improvements have sought to reduce pollution from pulp mills, less sodium sulfate makeup is required. The trends in pulp bleaching to increase substitution of chlorine with chlorine dioxide have caused an oversupply of sodium sulfate, so that this by-product is often regarded as waste (81). 

After the chemical treatment, the pulped wood is removed, washed, and screened. Unbleached, brown-colored paper is made directly for this material. Most whitened or bleached paper is made by the treatment of the pulp with chlorine, chlorine dioxide, hypochlorite, and/or alkaline extraction. In general, sulfate-pulped paper is darker and requires more bleaching and alkaline extraction to give a white pulp. 

Materials. A number of papermaking pulp samples, including bleached and unbleached, sulfite and sulfate, hardwood and softwood, and semichemical varieties, were analyzed thermogravimetrically. Some of these pulps, artificially aged at elevated temperatures and humidity, were also included. A list of the pulps and the codes assigned to them for easier reference are given in Table I. 

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