Pulp liquor preparation

Hemicellulose was reclaimed from industrial soda bagasse spent pulping liquor by precipitation with methanol as was done in earlier studies 2-5). The hemicellulose precipitate obtained was submitted to different degrees of washing with 50% aqueous methanol, resulting in hemicellulose preparations containing different quantities of ash and lignin. The pH of the hemicellulose was adjusted and borax or CaCh added, after which it was dried and ball-milled to the indicated particle sizes. 

FIGURE 15.6 Preparation of neutral sulfite semichemical pulping liquor via countercurrent contacting of a sulfur dioxide gas stream with aqueous sodium carbonate. 

Since calcium sulfite is not very soluble in water, the last stage(s) of liquor preparation involve absorption of sulfur dioxide into the cold liquor under pressure. This eventually gives a ratio of about 1 mole of calcium hydrogen sulfite (calcium bisulfite) to a total of 4-5 mole of (sulfur dioxide + sulfurous acid). At this stage the pulping liquor is an aqueous solution, which contains 6.5-9% dissolved sulfur dioxide in all forms. 

With magnesium-, sodium-, or ammonium-based sytems, the bisulfite and sulfite salts are all soluble at all proportions in the presence of sulfurous acid. Even magnesium sulfite, with a solubility of about 1.25 g/100 mL, cold, is about 160 times as soluble as calcium sulfite at the same temperature and its solubility increases with temperature. So liquor preparation with these sulfite salts is easier, whether for acid sulfite, bisulfite, or NSSC pulping conditions, and even for experimental tests under alkaline conditions. For ammonium-based systems, ammonium hydroxide is contacted with a sulfur dioxide gas stream for liquor preparation. Magnesium-based systems use a magnesium hydroxide slurry to contact the sulfur dioxide gas stream. Sodium-based systems normally employ sodium carbonate lumps in a sulfiting tower, in a method similar to that used for NSSC liquor preparation. Sodium hydroxide may also be used if available at low cost. 

Chemical pulps are prepared by the digestion of wood chips with chemicals at high temperature (170-180°C) until much of the lignin has been removed. There is a concomitant loss of hemicelluloses, because of polysaccharide degradation due to chemical attack. Therefore yields are low, from 45-50%. Chemical pulping falls into two main classes, those based on pulping with sulphite liquors at various pH levels, and alkaline pulping of which the kraft process is by far the most important. 

Both neutral sulphite and bisulphite pulping liquor can be reeovered by the Tampella process (Rimpi, 1983). The residual eooking liquor is burnt in a kraft type recovery furnace and the smelt of sodium earbonate and sodium sulphide obtained as described in the seetion on kraft pulping. The dissolved smelt is carbonated with flue gas to form sodium hydrosulphide and sodium bicarbonate and the partially carbonated liquor stripped with steam in order to liberate hydrogen sulphide gas. The gas formed plus make up sulphur is then burnt to sulphur dioxide for the preparation of sulphite eooking liquor. 

Bleach Liquor. Bleach Hquor or lime bleach Hquor is an aqueous solution of calcium hypochlorite and calcium chloride. It typically contains 30—35 g/L of available chlorine, though it may be as high as 85 g/L. It has been used in pulp bleaching, when it can be made more cheaply than sodium hypochlorite. It is prepared on site by chlorinating lime solutions. 

Two broad areas of application for xylanolytic enzymes have been identified (1). The first involves the use of xylanases with other hydrolytic enzymes in the bioconversion of wastes such as those from the forest and agricultural industries, and in the clarification and liquification of juices, vegetables and fruits. For these purposes, the enzyme preparations need only to be filtered and concentrated as essentially no further purification is required. Several specific examples of applications involving crude xylanase preparations include bioconversion of cellulosic materials for subsequent fermentation (2) hydrolysis of pulp waste liquors and wood extractives to monomeric sugars for subsequent production of single cell protein (3-5). Xylose produced by the action of xylanases can be used for subsequent production of higher value compounds such as ethanol (6), xylulose (7) and xyIonic acid (8-9). 

MARATHON-HOWARD PROCESS. A treatment of waste sulfite liquor from sulfite pulp manufacture In recover chemicals and reduce steam pollution. The waste sulfite is treated with line and precipitates. (I) calcium sulfite for use in preparing fresh cooking acid for the sulfite pulp process, and 121 a basic calcium salt tif ligmn sulfonic acid (lignin sullYmalesi that can be pressed and used as a fuel of used as raw- material for vanillin, lignin plasties, and other chemicals. The remaining liquor with its BOD reduced X() ( is the effluent. 

Wood, and the fiber obtained from it, is a complex arrangements of polymers and macromolecules that are exceedingly difficult to analyze chemically. But it is shown in Figure 1 that wet processes produce two streams, pulp from cooked fiber for board production and a liquor containing water solubles extracted from the stock. The liquor is easier to analyze and its composition may afford insight into the chemical changes effected by furnish preparation. 

Of the stabilization methods, the polysulfide pulping process is of practical importance. The influence of polysulfides is based on a specific oxidation of the end groups to carboxyl groups via glucosone intermediates (cf. Section 8.1.3). Polysulfides can be prepared by catalytic oxidation of sulfide in the white liquor or by adding elemental sulfur into the kraft cooking liquor ... 

---