Abstract:

The overall aim of the project is to improve the oxygen delignification process for the manufacture of chemical pulps. The first specific goal is to find and test active chemical or biochemical agents to enhance the cleavage of the networking non-phenolic ether linkage in lignin. The second is to activate kraft pulps before oxygen delignification with these selected agents in order to improve the selectivity of the oxygen delignification process. An evaluation of the pulp properties will be made for this improved modified oxygen delign. process and estimations of the costs will be calculated.

Objectives:

Delignification with oxygen in alkaline solution is a very useful method for the removal of lignin from pulp, and accordingly most of the pulp and paper mills in Europe use oxygen delignification to produce pulps for bleaching. However, both the efficiency and selectivity of oxygen delignification need to be improved in order to make full use of its potential since only half of the lignin can be dissolved. This is mainly due to the fact that non-phenolic beta-aryl ether structures, the network building structure in lignin, are virtually non-reactive under oxygen-alkali conditions. Thus, in order to reach a greater extent of lignin degradation it is important to find conditions under which degradation of all the different structural features in lignin can be achieved. Significant improvements might be reached by advanced oxidation technologies (AOT).

Contacts

Coordinator

• Sten LJUNGGREN / Stiftelsen STFI Skogsindustrins Tekniska Forskning SWEDEN

EC Scientific Officer

• Ignacio SEOANE / European Commission DG Research Theme 1 Key Action 5.3 / BELGIUM

Participant

• AGA Aktiebolag SWEDEN
• Steen STEENKEN / Max-Planck-Institut für Strahlenchemie GERMANY
• Oy Keskuslaboratori-Centrallaboratorium Ab KCL / FINLAND
• Enrico BACIOCCHI / Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza" ITALY
• WIBAX AB SWEDEN