Hydrogen peroxide bleaching of cellulose pulps obtained from brewer’s spent grain

Brewer’s spent grain (BSG) was evaluated for bleached pulp production. Two cellulose pulps with different chemical compositions were produced by soda pulping: one from the original raw material and the other from material pretreated by dilute acid. Both of them were bleached by a totally chlorine-free sequence performed in three stages, using 5% hydrogen peroxide in the two initial, and a 0.25 N NaOH solution in the last one. Chemical composition, kappa number, viscosity, brightness and yield of bleached and unbleached pulps were evaluated. The high hemicellulose (28.4% w/w) and extractives (5.8% w/w) contents in original BSG affected the pulping and bleaching processes. However, soda pulping of acid pretreated BSG gave a cellulose-rich pulp (90.4% w/w) with low hemicellulose and extractives contents (7.9% w/w and <3.4% w/w, respectively), which was easily bleached achieving a kappa number of 11.21, viscosity of 3.12 cp, brightness of 71.3%, cellulose content of 95.7% w/w, and residual lignin of 3.4% w/w. Alkaline and oxidative delignification of acid pretreated BSG was found as an attractive approach for producing high-purity, chlorine-free cellulose pulp.     

Effect of ethyl acetate on carbohydrate components and crystalline structure of pulp produced in aqueous acetic acid pulping

The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in carbohydrate components and the crystalline structure in hemp bast fibers by adding ethyl acetate to acetic acid/water pulping processes. It was found that ethyl acetate added to acetic acid/water process had a positive effect on yield, viscosity and carbohydrate components in pulp. It was assumed that the delignification ratio increased by adding ethyl acetate to aqueous acetic acid pulping. Xylose content in hemp bast fibers was affected more negatively in the ethyl acetate/acetic acid/water process than in the acetic acid/water one. Crystallinity and crystallite size were higher in pulp sample obtained by the acetic acid/water process without ethyl acetate.     

Pyrolysis-GC/MS and TG/MS study of mediated laccase biodelignification of Eucalyptus globulus kraft pulp

Biobleaching studies using laccase mediator system (LMS) were carried out, under optimized conditions, on two unbleached Eucalyptus globulus kraft pulps, one produced by conventional way, with kappa number of 16.1, and another with kappa number of 14.5, obtained by modified kraft procedure with a high liquor/wood ratio and with black liquor replacement in the middle of the cooking. The pulp properties before and after LMS and alkaline extraction were evaluated in terms of kappa number, hexeneuronic acid content, viscosity, brightness and acid insoluble lignin content.The original milled wood sample and the kraft pulps were characterized by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) and thermogravimetry/mass spectrometry (TG/MS). Eucalypt wood lignin produces guaiacol and syringol derivatives during pyrolysis. These lignin products can be detected with high sensitivity using the selected ion chromatograms even in the bleached pulp of low lignin content (about 0.5%). Py-GC/MS revealed that the lignin moieties were similarly altered during biobleaching as during pulping, which is exemplified by the preferential removal of aldehyde groups from the alkyl side groups. Semi-quantitative analysis of the pyrograms indicates that the lignin content of the biobleached pulps is reduced by about half in comparison with the unbleached pulps. The TG/MS results show that the hemicellulose content of wood was strongly modified during pulping resulting in higher thermal stability.     

Production, bleaching, and characterization of pulp from Stipa tenacissima

Alfa grass pulping was successfully performed in hydro-organic acid medium under mild conditions (107°C, atmospheric pressure, cooking time: 3 h). Use of an acetic acid/formic acid/water mixture as pulping liquor was perfectly suitable for selective isolation of pulp, lignin, and hemicelluloses. The unbleached pulp obtained in good yield was first delignified by peroxyacids in organic acid medium and then bleached with hydrogen peroxide in a basic medium to give pulp offering good physico-chemical and mechanical characteristics.     

Effect of dose of xylanase on bleachability of sugarcane bagasse ethanol/water pulps

Pulps obtained from the ethanol/water cooking of sugarcane bagasse were bleached with the xylanase enzyme obtained from the fungus Thermomyces lanuginosus IOC-4145 and with the commercial enzyme Cartazyme HS from Sandoz. By changing the enzyme dose from 4.3 to 36 IU/g of pulp, kappa number and viscosity were maintained when the xylanase from T. lanuginosus was used. On the other hand, by using Cartazyme HS, kappa number decreased by 17%, reaching 35.5. This pulp was further extracted with NaOH without a decrease in viscosity (10 cP), and pulp with a kappa number of 13 was obtained. Xylanases had no significant effect on the ethanol/water pulps.     

Ionic liquid extraction method for upgrading eucalyptus kraft pulp to high purity dissolving pulp

High purity cellulose from wood is an important raw material for many applications such as cellulosic fibers, films or the manufacture of various cellulose acetate products. Hitherto, multi-step refining processes are needed for an efficient hemicellulose removal, most of them suffering from severe cellulose losses. Recently, a novel method for producing high purity cellulose from bleached paper grade birch kraft pulp was presented. In this so called IONCELL process, hemicelluloses are extracted by an ionic liquid–water mixture and both fractions can be recovered without yield losses or polymer degradation. Herein, it is demonstrated that bleached Eucalyptus urograndis kraft pulp can be refined to high purity acetate grade pulp via the IONCELL process. The hemicellulose content could be reduced from initial 16.6 to 2.4 wt% while persevering the cellulose I crystal form by using an optimized 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dimethylphosphate-water mixture as the extraction medium. The degree of polymerization was then reduced by a sulfuric acid treatment for subsequent acetylation of the pulp, resulting in a final hemicellulose content of 2.2 wt%. When pre-treating the pulp enzymatically with endoxylanase, the final hemicellulose content could be reduced even to 1.7 wt%. For comparison, the eucalyptus kraft pulp was also subjected to cold caustic extraction and the same subsequent acid treatment which led to 3.9 wt% of residual hemicelluloses. The performance in acetylation of all produced pulps was tested and compared to commercial acetate grade pulp. The endoxylanase-IONCELL-treated pulp showed superior properties. Thus, an ecologically and economically efficient alternative for the production of highest value cellulose pulp is presented.     

Alkaline peroxide mechanical pulping of wheat straw with enzyme treatment

Alkaline peroxide mechanical pulping (APMP) of wheat straw with enzyme treatment was studied. Instead of direct enzyme pretreatment on wheat straw, an alternative treatment method was used, in which coarse pulps from refiner defibrated wheat straw rather than wheat straw were pretreated with a crude enzyme containing mainly xylanase, then impregnated with alkaline H₂O₂ solution and further refined. The optimum conditions of enzyme treatment were xylanase dosage of 10–15 IU/g of oven-dried wheat straw, 90 min, 50–60°C, pulp consistency of 5–10%, and initial pH of 5.0, and those for chemical impregnation were 6% NaOH, 70–80°C, 60–90 min, and 4 to 5% H₂O₂. Enzyme treatment improved pulpability of wheat straw by the APMP process, and final pulp quality such as brightness, breaking length, and burst index of pulp. Pulp from the APMP process with enzyme treatment could be bleached to a brightness of 70.5% ISO by two-stage H₂O₂ bleaching sequence with only 4% H₂O₂, and breaking length of the bleach pulp reached 4470 m.     

Dioxouranium (VI) complexes with cellulose acetate

Dioxouranium [UO₂(VI)] complexes with three degrees of substitution of cellulose acetate, prepared from viscose pulp (DS = 2.2, 2.45 and 2.86), have been synthesis and characterized. Degree of substitution (DS) is defined as the average number of CH groups substituted on each anhydrocellulose repeat unit. Probable structures of the cellulose acetate complexes were inferred from the elemental analysis data, conductance measurements, IR, electronic and ¹H NMR spectra. The results obtained show that the formula of UO₂(VI) complex with cellulose acetate of DS = 2.2 and 2.45 [(CA)₄.UO₂] is more probable than [(CA)₂.UO₂].2(CH₃COO), while the reverse is true for the case of a UO₂ complex with CA of DS = 2.86. For the former formula, cellulose acetate acts as a uni-negatively charged bidentate ligand and reacts with UO₂²⁺ through the ether-carbon-oxygen of the secondary acetylated hydroxyl group of the anhydroglucose unit and the oxygen atom of the residual secondary unacetylated hydroxyl group, forming a five-membered chelate ring. For the later formula, cellulose acetate of DS = 2.86 acts as a neutral bidentate chelating agent through the two ether oxygen atoms of the vicinal ester groups of secondary acetylated hydroxyl groups in anhydroglucose units also forming a five-membered chelate ring. The uranium atom in these complexes is 8-coordinate. The thermal behaviour of cellulose diacetate (DS = 2.2) and cellulose triacetate (DS = 2.86) and their complexes with uranyl acetate in nitrogen atmosphere has been also studied by differential thermal analysis from room temperature to 600 °C. The obtained DTA curves were analyzed using the Prout-Tompkins law. The method of least squares was applied to estimate the appropriate order of the reaction (n), and consequently the thermodynamic parameters. The results revealed that chelation of cellulose acetate with uranyl acetate led to increased thermal stability.     

Sorption of spruce O-acetylated galactoglucomannans onto different pulp fibres

Sorption of spruce acetylated galactoglucomannans (GGM) onto different pulps, among which unbleached and peroxide-bleached mechanical pulps, and unbleached and bleached kraft (BK) pulps, was studied as a means of understanding the retention of acetylated GGMs in mechanical pulping and papermaking. The fibre surface coverage of lignin and carbohydrates was estimated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) or electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). GGM sorption was clearly favoured on kraft pulps. Hardly any differences in sorption were, however, observed between unbleached and BK pulps, even if the surface coverage of lignin was lower on the bleached pulp. Neither thermomechanical pulp (TMP) nor chemithermomechanical pulp (CTMP) manufactured from spruce sorbed any acetylated GGMs. Peroxide bleaching of the pulp did not increase sorption. Only CTMP produced from aspen sorbed some GGMs. The anionic charge of neither chemical nor mechanical pulps influenced GGM sorption.     

Effect of Glucuronoxylan on the Hornification of Eucalyptus globulus Bleached Pulps

The effect of 4-O-methylglucuronoxylan (GX) on the hornification of bleached kraft and acid sulphite Eucalyptus globulus chemical pulps has been investigated. Almost straight-line dependence of kraft pulp hornification from GX content was explained through the diminishing of fibrils aggregation and better accessibility of amorphous cellulose regions to water in GX enriched pulps. The higher hornification of sulphite than kraft pulp was assigned to lower GX content in the former and to unfavourable rearrangement of cellulose molecules in crystalline and amorphous regions during acid sulphite pulping.     

Study on the morphology, crystalline structure and thermal properties of yellow ginger starch acetates with different degrees of substitution

Yellow ginger starch acetates with different degrees of substitution (DS) were prepared by reacting native starch with glacial acetic acid/acetic anhydride using sulfuric acid as catalyst. X-ray diffraction (XRD) of acetylated starch revealed that the crystal structure of native starch was disappeared and new crystalline regions were formed. Their formation was confirmed by the presence of the carbonyl signal around 1750 cm⁻¹, as well as the reduced hydroxyl groups, in the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) suggested most of the starch granules disintegrated with many visible fragments along with the increasing DS. The thermal behavior of the native starch and starch acetate were investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA), it was observed that the thermal stability of acetylated starch depends on the degree of substitution. Thermal stability of high DS acetylated starch is much better than that of the original starch when DS reached to 2.67.     

共反应剂法合成纤维素高级脂肪酸酯

采用乙酸酐为共反应剂合成了纤维素高级脂及酸酯。运用IR,^1H NMR对合成产物的结构进行了表征。结果表明,在纤维素分子骨架上同时接技了高级脂肪酸酯基以及乙酸酯基,产物为纤维素混合酸酯。产物的酯化度值通过^1H NMR确定,可达到1.66。研究了纤维素与系列高级脂肪酸的酯化反应,结果表明,随着高级脂肪酸中碳原子数目的增加,产物的酯化度逐渐减小,而产物质量有一个先增加后减小的趋势。     

COMMUNICATION: Mild reaction of ethyl cellulose and N- phenylmaleamic acid in acetic anhydride

The reaction at room temperature of ethyl cellulose (EC) and N-phenylmaleamic acid (NPMA) (maleanilic acid) in acetic anhydride with a catalytic amount of anhydrous sodium acetate resulted in a Michael type of product whereby a cellulose ether was formed. The cyclisation product N-phenylmaleimide was minor. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Effect of anthraquinone on brightness value and crystalline structure of pulp during soda processes

The dependence of crystalline structure and optical properties of pulp on anthraquinone (AQ) added to the soda process at different cooking times was determined in this study. Wheat (Triticum aestevum L.) straw was used as the raw material for pulp. Soda and soda-AQ processes were selected for pulping at 80 min and 120 min. The soda-AQ process improved the yield and viscosity of pulp delignification ratio for pulping in comparison with the soda process. Crystallinity of pulp samples decreased by adding anthraquinone to the soda process because of stabilized less ordered cellulose and amorphous hemicelluloses in pulp. It was determined that crystallinity of pulp samples decreased with longer cooking time, from 80 min to 120 min, in both soda and soda-AQ processes. Monoclinic structure was dominant in pulp samples; however, the triclinic structure ratio increased in both soda and soda-AQ processes compared to raw material. It was found that brightness and lightness values in pulp samples decreased when using anthraquinone depending on the changes of the crystalline structure.     

Dissolving-grade birch pulps produced under various prehydrolysis intensities: quality,structure and applications

Aqueous-phase prehydrolysis followed by alkaline pulping is a viable process to produce wood-based dissolving pulps. However, detailed characterisation of the achievable pulp quality, performance and cellulose structure is yet lacking. In this study, the production of hemicellulose-lean birch soda-anthraquinone pulps after prehydrolysis under various intensities was investigated. Increasing prehydrolysis intensity resulted in pulps of higher purity but lower cellulose yield and degree of polymerisation. Higher cellulose yield by using sodium borohydride during pulping was achieved at the expense of reducing pulp purity. Cellulose crystallinity was similar in all pulps indicating simultaneous degradation of both crystalline and amorphous cellulose regions. Reinforced prehydrolysis seemingly increased the cellulose crystal size and the interfibrillar distances. Moderate intensity prehydrolysis (170 °C) resulted in a pulp well suited for viscose application, whereas reinforced prehydrolysis favoured the production of acceptable cellulose triacetate dope. The performance of the pulps in viscose and acetate applications was strongly related to the chemical and structural properties.     

Carboxymethylcellulose obtained by ethanol/water organosolv process under acid conditions

Sugar cane bagasse pulps were obtained by ethanol/water organosolv process under acid and alkaline conditions. The best condition of acid pulping for the sugarcane bagasse was 0.02 mol/L sulfuric acid at 160 degrees C, for 1 h, whereas the best condition for alkaline pulping was 5% sodium hydroxide (base pulp) at 160 degrees C, for 3 h. For the residual lignin removal, the acid and alkaline pulps were submitted to a chemical bleaching using sodium chlorite. Pulps under acid and alkaline conditions bleached with sodium chlorite presented viscosities of 3.6 and 7.8 mPa x s, respectively, and mu-kappa numbers of 1.1 and 2.4, respectively. The pulp under acid condition, bleached with sodium chlorite was used to obtain carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). CMC yield was 35% (pulp based), showing mass gain after the carboxymethylation reaction corresponding to 23.6% of substitution or 0.70 groups -CH(2) COONa per unit of glucose residue. The infrared spectra showed the CMC characteristic bands and by the infrared technique it was possible to obtain a substitution degree (0.63), similar to the substitution degree calculated by mass gain (0.70).     

4.3 Degradation and modification of cellulose acetates by biological systems

A survey is given on recent findings in the enzymology of cellulose acetate degradation. Acetyl esterases have been identified as the principal enzymes, initiating cellulose acetate degradation as a prerequisite for endoglucanase-catalyzed cellulose acetate depolymerisation. Acetyl esterases are provided by nature to deacetylate naturally occurring partly acetylated polysaccharides, i.e. xylan and chitin. Accordingly they are not designed to attack high DS cellulose acetate. Under these circumstances acetyl esterases require a pretreatment of cellulose acetate, leading to some reduction in DS, in case highly substituted material should be degraded. One of these treatments is composting under the conditions of which a partial deacetylation may occur under the action of heat and high pH, facilitating the accessibility for acetyl esterases. However from the present knowledge it cannot be excluded that certain microbial specialists exist, being capable to degrade high DS cellulose acetate.     

On the accessibility and structure of xylan in birch kraft pulp

The structure of -(14)-xylan, both in isolated form and as a component of bleached birch kraft pulp, was studied employing CP/MAS ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. Bleached birch kraft pulp was treated with xylanases or alkali in order to distinguish between accessible and inaccessible xylan. In xylan which was alkali-extracted from bleached birch kraft pulp, the relative contents of xylose and 4-O-methylglucuronic acid were 99.4 and 0.6 weight %, respectively, and the degree of polymerization was 70. The supermolecular structure of xylan is very sensitive to the surrounding environment. All extracted xylan chains were accessible to water and methanol and the solvent molecules easily exchanged. In bleached birch kraft pulp, cellulose fibrils interact with xylan chains, causing these to adopt a conformation similar to one of the configurations observed for dry xylan. In birch pulp, about 1/3 of the xylan was found to be accessible to digestion by xylanases or extraction with 5% w/w potassium hydroxide (aq). A signal at 81.7ppm in the C-4 region of the CP/MAS ¹³C NMR spectrum of bleached birch kraft pulp originated from xylan at the accessible fibril surfaces. A portion of a broad signal at 83.5ppm reflected inaccessible xylan, which is probably present as co-aggregates with cellulose fibril aggregates.     

Bleaching of kraft pulp with commercial xylanases

The perform ance of commercial xylanases in totally chlorine-free bleaching of kraft pulp from conifer was tested with Pulpzyme HC (Novo Nordisk) and Cartazyme NS-10 (Sandoz/Clariant), at 500 U/kg of dry pulp, respectively. The treatment with Pulpzyme (X_p) or Cartazyme (X_c) has been combined with stages of bleaching using: oxygen (O), sulfuric acid (A), and extraction with hydrogen peroxide (E_op). The following sequences have been tested: OXpAE_op, OXcAE_op, XpOAE_op, XcOAE_op and OAE_op, Kraft pulp bleached at the Klabin industrial plant using the sequence, CEH (chlorine, alkaline extreaction, and hypochlorination) was, used for comparison. The following average values were obtained: 1. Kappa number: OX_pAE_op, 4.8; OX_cAE_op, 4.9; XpOAE_op, 5.0; XcOAE_op, 4.9; OAE_op, 5.6, and CEH, 1.9; 2. Brightness (% ISO values): OX_pAE_op, 68.4; OX_cAE_op, 70.1; X_pOAE_op, 67.9; X_cOAE_op, 26.9; X_pOAE_op, 23.4; X_cOAE_op, 23.1; OAE_op, 25.4, and CEH, 25.2. Pulps that were treated with xylanases, before or affer the delignification with oxygen, have shown reduced kappa number and higher brightness than the pulp OAE_op, Enzyme treatment before delignification with oxygen reduces pulp viscosity. Brightness obtained for pulp produced with bleaching sequences containing the enzymatic treatment, when compared with the control, CEH, shows that the xylanases enhance the action of the bleaching agents.     

乙酸选择性加氢制乙醇反应性能研究

在固定床反应器上考察了反应温度、反应压力、乙酸(HAC)液体进料空速、H_2/HAC(总气体空速GHSV或H_2流量)对乙酸选择性加氢制乙醇反应的影响,研究了乙酸转化率、产物选择性、乙醇时空收率的变化规律,验证了自主开发催化剂的稳定性。结果表明,副产物的选择性受反应条件的影响,选择合适的反应条件可以抑制乙酸乙酯和丙酮的生成。原料与催化剂床层接触时间小于5s时,可以避免发生乙酸加氢分解脱羰反应生成甲烷气相产物,也避免了乙醇的进一步反应生成乙烷。在反应温度为280℃,反应压力为2.5 MPa,乙酸进料液时空速为0.72 h~(-1),H_2/HAC(mol ratio)为16的条件下,乙酸乙酯选择性为6%。900 h长周期实验表明,自主开发催化剂具有较好的工业应用前景。