Chapter 2

The Pulp and Paper Making

Processes
 CONTENTS
Page
THE PULP AND PAPER MILL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Steps in the Pulp and Papermaking Process... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Pulping Technologies... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Figure Page
2-1. Overall View of Papermaking From Chemical Pulp by the Kraft Process. . . . . . . . . . 19
2-2. Stone Groundwood Pulp Mill Flow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
2-3. Refiner Groundwood Pulp Mill Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
2-4. Sulfite Pulp Mill Process... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Table
Table Page
2-1. Major Commercial Wood-Pulping Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
 Chapter 2
The Pulp and Paper Making Processes

The modem manufacture of paper evolved from impurities that cause discoloration and possible
an ancient art first developed in China, ca. 105 A.D. future disintegration of the paper. Hemicellulose is
Although the modem product differs considerably similar to cellulose in composition and function. It
from its ancestral materials, papermaking retains plays an important role in fiber-to-fiber bonding in
distinct similarities to the processes developed by papermaking. Several extractives (e.g., oleoresins
Ts’ai Lun in the Imperial Chinese Court. ’ In and waxes) are contained in wood but do not
principle, paper is made by: 1) pulping, to separate contribute to its strength properties; these too are
and clean the fibers; 2) beating and refining the removed during the pulping process.
fibers; 3) diluting. to form a thin fiber slurry, The fiber from nearly any plant or tree can be used
suspended in solution; 4) forming a web of fibers on for paper. However, the strength and quality of fiber,
a thin screen; 5) pressing the web to increase the and other factors that can complicate the pulping
density of the material; 6) drying to remove the process, varies among tree species. In general, the
remaining moisture; and 7) finishing, to provide a softwoods (e.g., pines, firs, and spruces) yield long
suitable surface for the intended end use. and strong fibers that impart strength to paper and
Pulp and paper are made from cellulosic fibers are used for boxes and packaging. Hardwoods, on
(i.e., fibers from trees) and other plant materials, the other hand, generally have shorter fibers and
although some synthetic materials may be used to therefore produce a weaker paper, but one that is
impart special qualities to the finished product. Most smoother, more opaque, and better suited for print-
paper is made from wood fibers, but rags, flax, ing. Both softwoods and hardwoods are used for
cotton linters, and bagasse (sugar cane residues) are papermaking and are sometimes mixed to provide
also used in some papers. Used paper is also both strength and printability to the finished product.
recycled, and after purifying and sometimes de-
inking, it is often blended with virgin fibers and THE PULP AND PAPER MILL
reformed again into paper. Other products made
from wood pulp (cellulose) include diapers, rayon, Although there are several chemical and mechani-
cellulose acetate, and cellulose esters, which are cal pulping methods used for delignifying wood
used for cloth, packaging films, and explosives. (table 2-l), separating fibers, and removing discol-
oration, all integrated pulp and paper mills involve
Wood is composed of: 1) cellulose, 2) lignin, 3) the same general steps in the manufacture of pulp
hemicellulose, and 4) extractives (e.g., resins, fats, and paper. These steps include: 1 ) raw material
pectins, etc.). Cellulose, the fibers of primary preparation (e.g., debarking and chipping); 2) me-
interest in papermaking, comprises about 50 percent chanical and/or chemical separation of the wood
of wood by ovendry weight. Lignin, which cements fibers [i.e., grinding, refining, or digestion (cook-
the wood fibers together, is a complex organic ing)] to dissolve the lignin and extractives; 3)
chemical the structure and properties of which are removal of coloring agents (primarily residual lig-
not fully understood, It is largely burned for the nin) by bleaching; and 4) paper formation and
generation of energy used in pulp and paper mills. manufacture.
As the chemistry of lignin becomes better under-
stood, what is now mostly a waste product used for A typical layout of a mill using the kraft chemical
fuel (some is converted to chemical products) could pulping process is shown in figure 2-1. Mechanical,
become a valuable feed stock for new chemical semichemical, and sulfite pulp mills differ in detail,
products. particularly in wood preparation, fiber separation,
and bleaching, but many of the downstream refining,
The pulping process is aimed at removing as bleaching, and papermaking processes are similar.
much lignin as possible without sacrificing fiber In addition to the primary steps in pulp and paper
strength, thereby freeing the fibers and removing manufacture, each mill has extensive facilities to
IA, H, Nlss~, p~p~~, WOO~ Ifs ~(ruC~~e U~~ p?ope?(ies, F.F, Wangaard (cd.) (University Park, PA: Pennsyivtia State University 198 1)! P 3~5.

-17-
18 ● Technologies for Reducing Dioxin in the Manufacture of Bleached Wood Pulp

Table 2-l—Major Commercial Wood-Pulping Technologies

Pulp grades use Wood type End-product use
Chemical pulps:
sulfite pulp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Softwoodsand hardwoods Fine and printing papers
Kraft sulfate pulp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Softwoods and hardwoods Bleached-printing and writing papers, paperboard
Unbleached-heavy packaging papers, paperboard.
Dissolving pulp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Softwood S and hardwoods Viscose rayon, cellophane, acetate fibers, and film
Semichemical pulps:
Cold-caustic process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Softwoods and hardwoods Newsprint and groundwood printing papers
Neutral sulfite process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hardwoods Newsprint and groundwood printing papers
Mechanical pulps
Stone groundwood , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Softwoods Corrugating medium
Refiner mechanical (RMP) . . . ., . . . . . . . . . Softwoods Newsprint and groundwood printing papers
Thermomechanical (TMP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Softwooods Newsprint and groundwood printing papers
SOURCE: Modifhd from George H. Soyd Ill and Chad E. Srown, Paper /~sfFy: ~tbok b Market Pu/p (New York, NY: KiddM, Peabody & (h, 19S1 ), p. 5.

produce and reclaim chemical agents used in the cooked (digested) with steam at specific tempera-
pulping process; collect, process, and bum lignin tures long enough to separate the fibers and partially
and waste wood to produce energy; and remove and dissolve the lignin and other extractives.
treat wastes from process water for release into the
environment. Some digesters operate continuously with a con-
stant feed of chips (furnish) and liquor, others are
Steps in the Pulp and Papermaking Process charged intermittently and treat a batch at a time.
After digestion, the cooked pulp (brown stock) is
Raw Material Preparation discharged into a pressure vessel (blow tank) where
Wood received at a pulp mill may be in several the steam and volatile materials are siphoned off.
different forms, depending on the pulping process The cooking liquor, that by this time has turned dark
and the origin of the raw material. It maybe received brown from the dissolved lignin (black liquor), is
as bolts (short logs) of roundwood with the bark still returned to the chemical recovery cycle, In the
attached, as chips about the size of a half-dollar that chemical recovery plant, the lignin in the black
may have been produced from sawmill or veneer liquor is burned for the cogeneration of energy, and
mill waste or pre-chipped from debarked roundwood the chemicals are recovered, purified, reconstituted,
elsewhere, or as waste sawdust in the case of some and returned to the digester as white liquor for reuse.
pulping processes. The brown stock containing the recovered fibers
If roundwood is used, it is first debarked, usually (having the consistency of cooked oatmeal) is
by tumbling in large steel drums where wash water washed with water, screened to remove undigested
may be applied. The debarked wood bolts are then wood, and cleaned to remove other foreign matter.
chipped in a chipper if the pulping process calls for It is then ready for bleaching and further processing.
chemical digestion or are fed into a grinder in the Fiber separation in mechanical pulping is less
case of some mechanical pulps. Chips are screened dramatic. In the stone groundwood process, de-
for size, cleaned, and temporarily stored for further barked logs are forced against rotating stone grind-
processing. ing wheels that are constantly washed by a stream of
Fiber Separation water. The ground pulp is then screened to remove
course debris, thickened, and stored for the paper-
The fiber separation stage is the point at which the making process.
several pulping technologies diverge. In kraft chemi-
cal pulping, the chips are fed into a large pressure Chips are used to produce refiner pulp and
cooker (digester), into which is added the appropri- thermomechanical pulp. In both processes the chips
ate chemicals (white liquor). The chips are then are ground by passing them through rapidly rotating
 Chapter 2—The Pulp and Paper Making Processes ● 19

Figure 2-1-Overall View of Papermaking From Chemical Pulp by the Kraft Process
Continuous digester

II

White liquor
clarifier
Wash water

I
I Stripped condensates A

SOURCE: Envirorwnent Ontario, Srop@ng Water Poflutioft Al Its Source (Toronto, OntarIO: Ministry of the Environment, 1988).
 20 ● Technologies for Reducing Dioxin in the Manufacture of Bleached Wood Pulp

disk grinders. Thermomechanical pulp is refined hypochlorite, hydrogen or sodium peroxide, and the
(ground) under pressure after the chips are pretreated Sulfur Dioxide-Borol Process (a variation of the
with steam (chemical thermomechanical pulp uses sodium hydrosulfite method). Originally, much of
chemicals and steam for pretreatment). After further the mechanical pulp was not bleached, but the
refining in a second stage, the pulp is screened, bleaching of groundwood has increased and im-
cleaned, and most of the process water is removed in proved technology now enables bleached ground-
preparation for papermaking. wood pulp to be used for printing papers, tissues, and
towelling.
Bleaching or Brightening
Papermaking
Since the raw pulp (brown stock) still contains an
appreciable amount of lignin and other discolora- The bleached or unbleached pulp may be further
tion, it must be bleached to produce light colored or beaten and refined to cut the fibers and roughen the
white papers preferred for many products. Bleaching surface of the fibers (fibrillate) to improve formation
is normally done in several stages (multistage and bonding of the fibers as they enter the paper
bleaching). Through chlorination and oxidation the machine. Before entering the paper machine, water
fibers are further “delignified” by solubilizing is added to the pulp slurry to make a thin mixture
additional lignin from the cellulose. normally containing less than 1 percent fiber. The
dilute slurry is then cleaned in cyclone cleaners and
A number of bleaching agents may be used and screened in centrifugal screens before being fed into
are applied in a stepwise fashion within a bleaching the ‘‘wet end* of the paper-forming machine.
sequence. These include chlorine gas, chlorine
dioxide, sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide, In the paper making process, the dilute stock
and oxygen. Between bleaching treatments, a strong passes through a headbox that distributes the fiber
alkali (usually sodium hydroxide) is used to extract slurry uniformly over the width of the paper sheet to
the dissolved lignin from the surface of the fibers. be formed. The “web” of fiber that will make the
The bleaching agents and the sequence in which they new paper sheet is formed on a continuously moving
are used depend on a number of factors, such as the bronze or polymer screen (Fourdrinier) or between
relative cost of the bleaching chemicals, type and two such wire screens. Water drains from the slurry
condition of the pulp, desired brightness of the paper through the mesh of the screen, the wet paper web is
to be produced, and sometimes in response to consolidated and the paper sheet gains some strength
environmental guidelines and regulations. through fiber bonding.
Bleaching of mechanical pulp is much different The wet sheet of paper is continuously lifted from
than that for chemical pulp. Mechanical pulping the screen (couched) and transferred to a woven felt
leaves the lignin and the cellulose intact, whereas the belt where additional water is squeezed from the
purpose of chemical pulping is to chemically sepa- paper sheet by pressure rollers, The remaining water
rate the lignin from the cellulose fibers and remove is removed on steam-heated cylinders. When the
it from the pulp. A major advantage of mechanical paper is dry it may be treated with stabilizing
pulping is the high yields of pulp that can be materials and surface finishes to improve durability
achieved from a given volume of wood. Therefore, or printability.
bleaching or brightening of mechanical pulps is
designed to minimize the removal of the lignin that Pulping Technologies
would reduce fiber yields. Mechanical Pulping Processes
Chemicals used for bleaching mechanical pulps There are six basic mechanical pulping processes:
selectively destroy coloring impurities but leave the 1 ) stone groundwood, 2) refiner, 3) thermomechani-
lignin and cellulosic materials intact, These include cal pulping, 4) chemical mechanical, 5) defibrated or
2
sodium bisulfite, sodium or zinc hydrosulfite (no exploded pulping, and 6) recycled paper. Mechani-
longer used in the United States), calcium or sodium cal pulping is generally used with softwoods be-
2~1s ~Uon ~ ~lplng IWhno]ogies IYCXTOWS heavily from a previous OTA assessment: Wood Use U.S. Co~etitiveness and Technolo~, Vol. //:
Technical Report, OTA-M-224 (Springfkld, VA: National Technical Intormaiion Wvice, 1984), pp. 79-94.
 Chapter 2—The Pulp and Paper Making Processes ● 21

cause of the added strength imparted by the long and coated specialty papers that do not require
fiber length of softwood species. Some hardwoods high-strength. Secondary uses include wallpaper
require chemical pretreatment (chemical mechancial and paperboard. Small amounts of chemical pulp are
pulping) to produce a suitable groundwood pulp. often mixed with groundwood pulp for additional
Fibers separated mechanically are substantially dam- strength. Recycled pulp is used mainly for the
aged in the process and therefore make weaker paper manufacture of folding boxboard (gray board), tis-
or paperboard. However, since both lignin and sue, corrugated board, and newsprint. Paper prod-
cellulose fibers remain intact, the yield of paper per ucts made from defibrated pulp include hardboards,
unit volume of wood is still greater than that construction boards, and roofing papers.
produced by chemical pulping. Pulp yields from all
of the mechanical pulping processes typically are
near 90 to 95 percent recovery, which is a much In the stone groundwood process, debarked short
higher yield per unit of wood than with the chemical logs (roundwood) are fed whole against wet stone
pulping methods because of the retention of lignin. grinders by hydraulic rams. Counter-revolving steel
However, paper made from mechanical pulp discol- disks are sometimes used in place of abrasive stone
ors and becomes brittle with age because of its lignin in the grinding process. The abrasion of the grinding
content, which results in a shorter useful life than wheel against the wood physically separates the
paper made from chemical pulp. wood fibers. The grinding process usually is auto-
matic and continuous. The groundwood pulp is then
Mechanical pulps are used principally to manu- screened, bleached or brightened, treated, and pre-
facture newsprint, printing papers, towelling, tissue, pared for the paper machine (figure 2-2).
Figure 2-2-Stone Groundwood Pulp Mill Flow

W h ite Over f low

water
1 I

Pulp Bleaching S ewe r

, I

SOURCE: Man M. Spdnger, Inolmrk?i Emwo rvmwtal Centi: RJ/p @ Psper hdmtry (New Yoik, NY: Jotm Wiley & Sons, 19SS), p. 147.
22 . Technologies for Reducing Dioxin in the Manufacture of Bleached Wood Pulp

Refiner mechanical pulping (RMP) uses chips Figure 2-3-Refiner Groundwood Pulp Mill Process
in lieu of roundwood and produces paper with higher
strength than conventional groundwood because of
less damage to the fibers in the pulping process. The
chips are passed through a refiner that has fixed and
rotating disks operating under a stream of water. A 1
wider range of species, including hardwoods, can be
processed by the refiner pulping process, Sawdust
and other saw mill wastes can also be used (figure
2-3).
Thermomechanical process (TMP) was devel-
oped as a modification of the refiner mechanical
pulping process. In TMP, the wood chips are
steamed for several minutes under pressure and
subsequently refined in one or two stages. The lignin
is softened by heating the wood chips with pressur-
ized steam before they are refined (i.e., blended by
passing the fiber through rapidly rotating disks). The
refined wood pulp, although stiIl weaker than
chemical pulp, makes a stronger paper than ground-
wood or refiner pulp with only a small sacrifice in
yield but with large energy requirements. Some
newsprint is now produced wholly from ther-
momechanical pulp, thus eliminating the need for
the addition of chemical pulp often needed for
strengthening paper made from mechanical pulp.
The neutral sulfite semichemical (NSSC) pulping
process is used at a number of U.S. mills to produce
courser-grade products such as corrugated board,
which has a yield of about 75 percent of the wood
raw material. In NSSC pulping, wood chips are
softened by briefly cooking them in a neutral sodium
or ammonium sulfite solution and then separating
the fibers (defibrating) in a refiner (see also Sulfite
Pulping below).
Recycling can effectively reduce the consumption
of both wood raw material and energy when used in
conjunction with other mechanical pulping pro-
cesses. It does so, however, with some sacrifice in
paper strength. Recycled pulp is manufactured from
wastepaper that is processed into paper stock. A
small proportion of the paper stock (5 to 10 percent) SOURCE: AJIuI M. Sprhqor, l&S~EAWWWW c%@Vl: Al@wdP@NJnlAls&y
is de-inked, usually with caustic soda-based chemi- (Nr# York, NY: John Wiley& Sarrs, 1986), p. 140.
cals. Most recycled paper, however, is pulped
without de-inking. Pulping is accomplished through
violent agitation and shearing action performed at
high temperatures. The paper produced from recy- virgin materials, because of the breakdown of the
cled pulp is generally weaker than papers from used fibers and loss of fiber bonding.
 Chapter 2—The Pulp and Paper Making Processes ● 23

Three major developments in mechanical pulping chemical mechanical pulping can be used to produce
technologies show promise for improving pulp newsprint and printing papers.
quality: 1) pressurized groundwood pulping, 2)
Chemical Pulping
chemical thermomechanical pulping, and 3) hard-
wood chemical mechanical pulping. All of these Chemical pulping involves treating wood chips
technologies have reached some stage of commer- with chemicals to remove the lignin and hemicellu-
cialization. Chemical thermomechanical pulping is lose, thus separating and cleaning the fibers. Delig-
currently used at several U.S. mills. Improvements nification gives the fibers greater flexibility, result-
in mechanical pulping show promise for improving ing in a substantially stronger paper (because of
the quality (strength characteristics) of paper now greater contact between the fibers in the finished
produced by mechanical processes. The resulting sheet) than can be manufactured from high-lignin
higher quality mechanical pulps may displace the fibers produced by mechanical pulping. Paper
kraft pulps that are currently mixed with mechanical strength and durability is gained at the expense of
pulps to improve paper strength. fiber yield. Chemical processes may yield only half
the fiber that can be recovered by the use of
Pressurized Groundwood Pulping—h pressur- mechanical pulping techniques.
ized groundwood pulping, debarked logs are fed to
the grinding wheel through a heated, pressurized Two major chemical pulping processes are cur-
chamber. The heat and pressure help separate the rently in commercial use: 1) kraft (sulfate) pulping,
fiber, thus breaking fewer fibers in the grinding and 2) sulfite pulping. The kraft process dominates
process and improving pulp quality. Paper produced the pulp and paper industry, accounting for 76
from pressurized groundwood pulp is more tear- percent of the pulp
3
produced for paper and paper-
resistant than paper made from stone-ground pulp, board in 1984. Paper produced from kraft pulp
but is slightly inferior to that of thermomechanical accounts for most of the bleached boxboard and
pulp. Pressurized groundwood pulping may have the linerboard used by the packaging industry (which
potential for displacing some high-quality chemical consumes about 58 percent of the paper in the United
pulps in the manufacture of newsprint and other States). Bleached softwood kraft pulps are often
printing papers. mixed with mechanical pulps to add strength to
newsprint and printing papers. Bleached hardwood
Chemical Thermomechanical Pulping— Chem- kraft pulps are added to bleached softwood pulp to
ical thermomechanical pulping involves treating improve printability for specialty paper products
softwood chips with mild sulfite solutions to modify like magazine stock and coated papers. Both kraft
the lignin and partially delignify the wood prior to pulp and sulfite pulp can be used for the production
grinding in a refiner. This “sulfonation” treatment of dissolving pulp, which is used for the production
results in paper with higher tear resistance than of rayon and acetates.
thermomechanical, refiner, or stone-ground pulps. Kraft Pulping—Kraft pulping involves treating
Pulp yields decrease slightly to between 85 and 90 wood chips and sawdust with a sodium sulfide and
percent with chemical thermomechanical pulping, sodium hydroxide solution (see figure 2-1). The
but these yields are still higher than chemical highly alkaline chemical and wood mixture is
pulping (40 to 56 percent). cooked with steam under pressure (digested) for
between 1 and 3 hours. Digestion may be either a
Hardwood Chemical Mechanical Pulping— Me- continuous process or treated in discontinuous
chanical methods for producing pulp from hardwood ‘‘batches.’ Most of the lignin and some of the
species involve pretreating hardwood chips with hemicellulose is dissolved, leaving the remaining
hydrogen peroxide or sodium hydroxide and proc-
essing them like refiner mechanical pulps. Both cellulose fibers separated.
hardwoods and softwoods have been successfully The cooking liquor containing the dissolved
pulped by this method, with fiber recoveries in the lignin and other extractives (black liquor) is routed
80 to 90 percent range. Pulp produced by hardwood to a chemical recovery plant where the lignin and
24 ● Technologies for Reducing Dioxin in the Manufacture of Bleached Wood Pulp

organic wastes are burned to produce energy needed based chemicals are recoverable, and ammonium-
in the pulping process. Valuable extractives (e.g., based chemicals are less expensive and can be
turpentine, tall oil, and resin) are separated for sale burned without harmful environmental effects, they
as commodity chemicals. Process chemicals are are the most frequently used.
recovered with only a relatively small loss in
volume, and after replenishment with sodium salts, Sodium-based sulfite pulping can consist of
multistage cooking, successive stages of which
they are returned to the digester for reuse.
differ in acidity. Because one stage optimizes
The brown pulp (brown stock) from the digester chemical liquor penetration and the other the re-
is washed, screened, and passed through a battery of moval of lignin, more lignin may be removed with
cleaners. If the pulp is to be bleached, it is less fiber degradation, so that fiber yields are higher,
“thickened” by removing excess water and sent fibers are stronger, and a wider range of wood
through a series of bleach operations. These can vary species may be used. Sulfite pulping dissolves some
widely in the type of chemicals used and their of the hemicellulose as well as the lignin. Neutral
sequence. Bleached pulp is then ready for the paper sulfite pulping, using sodium and ammonium bases,
making process. recovers the largest proportion of fiber (75 to 90
percent) of all the sulfite pulping methods.
Both softwood and hardwoods can be pulped by
the kraft process. Fiber recovery is largely a function Sulfite pulp is a light color and can sometimes be
of the wood species used, the time and temperature used without bleaching if high brightness is not
of cooking, the degree of bleaching, and the paper required. Unbleached sulfite pulp is often blended
strength required. Generally, kraft pulp recoveries with groundwood and other high-yield mechanical
from softwoods are approximately 47 percent for4 pulps for strengthening newspaper stock. Sulfite
unbleached pulp and 44 percent for bleached. pulp is easily bleached to very bright pulps for
Hardwood recoveries range from 50 to 52 percent for writing and printing paper. It is also used for the
unbleached kraft pulp to 50 percent for bleached. manufacture of dissolving pulps (through the further
removal of hemicellulose) for the production of
Sulfitee Pulping—Lignin can be dissolved by viscose rayon, acetate fibers and films, plastic fillers,
sulfonation with an aqueous solution of sulfur and cellophane.
dioxide and calcium, sodium, magnesium, or ammo-
nium bisulfite cooked at high temperature and Potential for New Pulping Technologies
pressure in a digester (see figure 2-4). There are four The search for new pulping technologies and
basic sulfite pulping processes currently in commer- process improvements for established commercial
cial use: 1) acid sulfite, 2) bisulfite, 3) neutral sulfite, technologies continues in the United States, Canada,
and 4) alkaline sulfite. The major differences be- Sweden, Finland, Japan, Germany, and elsewhere.
tween the sulfite processes are the levels of acidity In the United States, about $815 million is estimated
and alkalinity of the sulfite chemical solutions used to have been spent on pulp and paper research and
to break down the wood and remove the lignin. 5
development in 1987. OTA could not determine
Sulfite pulping processes are suitable only for what proportion of the R&D was directed at
improving pulping technologies. Nearly all R&D is
species with low extractive contents (i.e., those low sponsored by the industry, with only $3 million
in tannins, polyphenols, pigments, resins, fats, and (<0.4 percent) expended by the Federal Govern-
the like) because of the interference of these
ment.
substances with the sulfite pulping process. Al-
though calcium is the cheapest sulfite base available, Industry pulping R&D is largely focused on
it forms insoluble compounds that cannot be re- improving established pulping and bleaching proc-
claimed economically. Thus, calcium-based pulping esses rather than seeking new pulping technologies.
is seldom used. Because magnesium- and sodium- Some of the research and development is driven by
4P.J. I-Iw~y, Cowri$on of Mills Ener~ Balance: Efects of Conventional Hydropyrolysis and ~ry Pyrolysis Recoveq system (Awlem WI:
Institute of Paper Chemistry, 1978),
5Bat~]]e Memolj~ ~stitute, pro~le Leveb of R&D Expenditures in 1987: Forecau and Analysis (Columbus, OH: Battelle, 1986), P. 11.
 Chapter 2—The Pulp and Paper Making Processes ● 25

the need for broadening the raw material base in Figure 2-4—Sulflte Pulp Mill Process
response to concerns over forest resources. Restric-
Fresh water
tions on water use and pollution control have ●
contributed to the impetus for seeking process Wood ●

improvements. —-J----:
Energy costs as reflected in both energy use by the
industry and their impact on the cost of chemicals
has led to process improvements in the past,
although moderating energy prices have recently
reduced these concerns. The emphasis on recycling
to reduce the massive problems of solid waste
disposal in metropolitan areas has also been an
incentive to using more reclaimed material in paper
manufacturing. Finally, the increasing cost of capital
to rebuild aging sectors of the pulp and paper
industry have fed the need for more R&D by the
industry.
There are several reasons why major advance-
ments in pulp and paper technology appear to be
glacial in comparison to some other more rapidly
advancing technologies. First, the pulp and paper
industry is mature; the commercial technology,
much of which was developed in the late 1700s and
1800s, has undergone evolutionary change, and
satisfaction with the basic technology has led to little
reason to fix something that does not appear to be
broken. Concerns over future environmental prob-
lems and competition from other materials could
change this, and to some degree already has.
Second, R&D is fragmented by the emphasis on
process improvement, therefore few scientists and
engineers focus on new pulping processes. In
addition, many researchers specialize in one pulping
process or another depending on the needs of a
specific firm; few are able to consider all technologi- SOURCE: Nan M. Sprhgar, /n&stMEnvhmantal Cmvfol: Pu/parWPqarltistry
(Naw York, NY: John Wiby & Sons, 1986), p. 153.
cal options or innovations for improving pulp yield
or overall quality.
Third, R&D investment in incremental improve-
ment in established processes is easier to sell to limit the advancements that could be made through
corporate directors than risky, long-term, radical collective R&D efforts. Individual firms have little
changes. Large existing investments in plant equip- incentive to undertake a major, long-term, high-
ment stretch the amortization period of old equip- investment R&D program to develop radically new
ment and slow the acceptance of new processes that technologies with uncertain payoff in the end,
require substantial changes and alterations. particularly in the current investment climate.

Finally, the absence of major government invest- Organosolv Pulping (Ester Pulping)—Organo-
ment in long-range, high-risk R&D to seek new, solv pulping—sometimes called ester pulping—is a
innovative pulping and bleaching technologies may two-stage process involving hydrolysis (decomposi-
 .

26 ● Technologies for Reducing Dioxin in the Manufacture of Bleached Wood Pulp

tion of the wood by dilute acids or enzymes) and the government is underwriting half the cost of the plant.
removal of lignin with an organic solvent, usually a Alcell is an alcohol cellulose organosolv process.
mixture of alcohol and water. The still experimental
process is suitable for both hardwoods and soft- Hydrotropic Pulping-Hydrotropic solutions are
woods. Sawdust as a byproduct from lumber manu- aqueous salt solutions that impart greater volubility
6
facture can also be pulped, Pulp recovery from to slightly soluble substances (e.g., lignin) than does
organosolv pulping ranges between 50 and 60 water at the same temperature. Sodium xylenesul-
percent for hardwoods, and 40 and 45 percent for fonate, a hydrotropic salt, 8has been used experimen-
softwoods. Typical hardwood fiber recoveries com- tally to delignify wood. A hydrotropic pulping9
pare favorably with those from kraft pulping. process was patented by Ralph H. McKee in 1943.
Fibers produced by the organosolv process are Laboratory pulping texts suggested that dissolution
weaker than those recovered by the kraft process. of lignin with aqueous sodium xylenesulfonate
Thus, the papers produced from organosolv pulp are solutions of 30 to 40 percent had little or no effect on
suitable for uses where strength is not the most the strength of the pulp and yielded a high alpha
important property (e.g., printing papers, fluff pulps, cellulose content (important for dissolving pulp).
and dissolving pulp). Little waste is produced by the
process, and low alcohols are recovered easily by Pulping of poplar was conducted at temperatures
distillation, 7 thus requiring relatively low capital of about 150 °C for 11 to 12 hours. Tests yielded 52
investment. Commercial viability of this technol- percent cellulose, compared to 47 percent from
ogy will require that markets be developed for comparable sulfite pulp. Unlike sulfite or kraft
pulping which uses contaminating inorganic chemi-
byproducts of the process.
cals, the lignin recovered through precipitation by
A commercial demonstration plant using the hydrotropic pulping is relatively pure and is suitable
Alcell process developed by Repap Enterprises for conversion to other chemical products. The
Corp. of Canada is currently under construction at process is not suited for resinous coniferous species,
Newcastle, New Brunswick. The 33-ton-per-day however, and comparatively little serious attention
pilot plant will cost $65 million. The Canadian has been given to this process by the industry.

%edor N, Keinert, “Oranosolv Pulping With Aqueous Alcohol,” T@PIJ., August 1974, vol. 57, p, 99 et seq.
TN. Sawyer, Stare OfN~ Pu@ng Processes: Problem and Perspectives (Madison, WI: U#S. %st hd~ts Ldxxatory, 1982), p. IQ scc ~sO
Raymond W. Young and Kenneth W, Baierl, “EsterPulpingof Wood: A Revolutionary Process,” Southerrt Pu@ & P~er, November 1985, pp. 15-17.
sRalph H, MCKW, “u% of Hydrotropic solutions in Industry,” ]ndusrriaf and IMgimxring CIWRLW, VO1. 38, No. 4.1946 P. 382; ~ ~~ R~Ph
H. McKee, “Comparison of Wood Pulping Process,” Pulp and Paper Magazine of Canadu, vol. 55, No, 2, 1954, pp. 64-66,
!IU.S. patent No. 2308564, Jm, 19, 1943.