FAIR-CT95-0560 Wood Extracts in Pulp and Paper Manufacture, Technical and Environmental Implications and Biological Removal

Contacts
Website: www.cib.csic.es/~lignina/web_en.html
Further Information



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Biological Conversion : Biotechnology : Enviromental Aspects : FAIR Area 1.3 - Forestry-Wood Chain : Paper/Pulp : Wood (Lignocellulose)

	Type of Project	Shared Cost
	Contract No	FAIR-CT95-0560
	Total Cost	2 468 904 ECU
	EC Contribution	1 190 000
	Start Date	01/12/1995
	Duration	36 months

OBJECTIVE

Technical Approach

The objectives of the proposal are:

• to evaluate biotechnological solutions for eliminating problematic pitch compounds from wood (Eucalyptus globulus and Pinus sylvestris) and pulp
• to determine the influence of eliminating these compounds in pulp and paper quality and wastewater toxicity
• to identify the pitch constituents responsible for poor pulp and paper quality as well as effluent toxicity

The term pitch is applied to both wood extractives and to the deposits these extractives cause during pulping and papermaking processes. Previous studies have mostly concerned the composition of softwood pitch. However, little is known about the composition of pitch from hardwoods and, specifically, from Eucalyptus, which is used extensively for paper pulp manufacture in Southern Europe. Wood extractives cause operation and quality problems in pulp and paper manufacture. Papermaking processes using mixtures of virgin and recycled fibres also produce large quantities of pitch due to interactions of extractives with paper additives. Both pitch-related problems will be considered in the proposed project, which includes two pulp and paper companies (ENCE-ES, and PARENCO-NL).

The use of Eucalyptus wood by the pulp and paper industries signifies the need to identify the components responsible for pitch problems (a task that will be performed by the IRNA-ES) in order to define effective pitch control strategies. Knowledge of the toxicity of pitch constituents is well established. After the elimination of chlorine from pulp bleaching, the extractives now constitute one of the most important environmental problems in wastewaters from pulp and paper mills (this ecotoxicological aspect will be investigated by the CTP-FR).

The use of organisms and enzymes to treat wood or pulp respectively, enables the introduction of environmentally-friendly procedures into pulp and paper manufacture. Biotechnological processes developed for softwoods need to be adapted to hardwoods. Additionally, in previous works strains and enzymes were not selected from screening programs. Thus, a comprehensive screening is still required because it would most likely result in the identification of better biocatalysts with improved effectiveness towards selective extractive removal, to be used for eliminating pitch and effluent toxicity problems (these studies will be developed by three biotechnology groups, CIB-ES, WAU-NL, and UW-UK).

Results to Date

The work accomplished during the first year of the project included:

• set-up of analytical methodologies (pitch fractionation and analysis, evaluation of lipase activity, etc)
• screening of fungi (including new strains isolated from pine and eucalyptus wood) for efficient removal of wood extractives and production of high lipase activity
• preliminary evaluation of extractive toxicity
• studies on physico-chemical treatments (including wood steaming and outside storage) to be combined with biological methods to decrease extractives and colloidal pitch.

Fractionation of wood extractives (pitch) by solid-phase extraction

Gas chromoatography of wood extractives: mass spectrometry analysis

Extractive droplets in a wood section

Screening of fungi degrading wood extractives:
Bjerkandera adusta and control pine wood

Piles of pine trunks

Contacts

Coordinator

• Francisco J GONZALEZ-VILA / Instituto Recursos Naturales y Agrobiologia (IRNA-CSIC) SPAIN

EC Scientific Officer

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

Participant

• Maria J MARTINEZ / CIB-CSIC SPAIN
• CTP, Centre Technique du Papier FRANCE
• Javier ROMERO / ENCE, Empresa Nacional de Celulosas Centro de Investigacion / SPAIN
• G VAN DER HOEVEN / Parenco BV Technical Dept / NETHERLANDS
• Reyes SIERRA-ALVAREZ / University of Agriculture Wageningen Division of Wood Science / NETHERLANDS
• Jose Maria BARRASA / University of Alcala Dept of Plant Biology / SPAIN
• Tajalli KESHAVARZ / University of Westminster Biotechnology Department / UNITED KINGDOM

Scientific Coordination

• Angel T MARTINEZ / CIB, CSIC Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas / SPAIN