A novel process for efficient utilization of bamboo fiber resource in dissolving pulp production by fiber fractionation: Laboratory study and mill trials

A novel process was developed for cleaner production of bamboo dissolving pulp. Conventional bamboo Kraft pulp was first fractionated into two streams by fiber length. The cellulose-rich long-fibers fraction was further purified with acid hydrolysis and cold caustic extraction to obtain a dissolving...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bioresource technology 2024-03, Vol.395, p.130400-130400, Article 130400
Main Authors: Liu, Yishan, Fu, Chenglong, Liu, Lianli, Wang, Ke, Wu, Ting, Wu, Jingjing, Zhang, Junmiao, Xie, Zhanghong, Xu, Yinchuan, Duan, Chao, Ni, Yonghao, He, Zhibin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acid hydrolysis
Bamboo pulp
Cellulose
Chemical Fractionation
Cold caustic extraction
Dissolving pulp
Fiber fractionation
Hemicellulose removal
Hydrolysis
Purification
Wood
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Summary:A novel process was developed for cleaner production of bamboo dissolving pulp. Conventional bamboo Kraft pulp was first fractionated into two streams by fiber length. The cellulose-rich long-fibers fraction was further purified with acid hydrolysis and cold caustic extraction to obtain a dissolving pulp of 95%+ α-cellulose content, exceeding the requirement of high-quality dissolving pulp. The hemicellulose-rich short-fiber fraction was blended with the regular bamboo Kraft pulp for tissue paper production to save energy in pulp refining. The combined pulp yield reached 49%, markedly higher than the conventional pre-hydrolysis Kraft process. These results were confirmed by mill trials. [Display omitted] •A novel process for production of both dissolving-grade and paper-grade bamboo pulp.•Paper-grade bamboo pulp was fractionated into long-fiber and short-fiber fractions.•The cellulose-rich long-fiber fraction was good for dissolving pulp production.•The hemicellulose-rich short-fiber fraction was good for paper production.•The combined pulp yield and product value of the novel process were markedly higher. The rational use of bamboo to make dissolving pulp can offer up new opportunities for cellulose production, alleviating wood scarcity. Bamboo contains a high content of non-fiber cells, which presents technical challenges in dissolving pulp production by the conventional process. In this study, a process concept of separating hemicelluloses is presented by fiber fractionation and purification for cleaner production of bamboo dissolving pulp: bamboo kraft pulp was fractionated into long-fiber and short-fiber fractions. The cellulose-rich long-fiber fraction was converted to dissolving pulp by further purification treatment with acid hydrolysis and cold caustic extraction. The hemicellulose-rich short-fiber fraction was used for papermaking. The laboratory results were confirmed by those from mill trials. The combined pulp yield (dissolving pulp + paper-grade pulp) reached 49 %, which was significantly higher than that of the conventional pre-hydrolysis kraft pulping process. Furthermore, the quality of dissolving pulp was higher due to inherently higher cellulose content of long-fiber fraction.
ISSN:0960-8524
1873-2976
DOI:10.1016/j.biortech.2024.130400