Bleaching and shive reduction process for non-wood fibers
AssigneeGPCP IP Holdings LLC
InventorsJeffrey A. Lee, Raymond Jeffrey Harwood, Edward J. Smith
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to a method for scouring and increasing the brightness of non-wood fibers. The method comprises forming a mixture of non-wood fibers, exposing the mixture to a scouring liquor and a scouring agent comprising oxygen gas to form a scouring mixture, and scouring the scouring mixture by radially circulating the scouring liquor throughout the scouring mixture to provide scoured fibers.
Claims60
A method for scouring and increasing the brightness of non-wood fibers, the method comprising:
- forming a mixture of non-wood fibers having a mean length of at least 7 millimeters (mm) into a fiber mat within a perforated basket arranged within a kier;
- exposing the mixture to a scouring liquor and a scouring agent comprising oxygen gas to form a scouring mixture;
- and
- scouring the scouring mixture in the perforated basket by radially circulating the scouring liquor, by a circulation pump, throughout the mixture to provide scoured fibers.
A method for increasing the brightness of non-wood fibers, the method comprising:
- forming a mixture of non-wood fibers having a mean length of at least 7 millimeters (mm) into a fiber mat within a perforated basket arranged within a kier;
- and
- scouring the mixture in the perforated basket with a scouring liquor comprising oxygen gas to provide scoured and brightened fibers, the scouring comprising radially circulating and recirculating the scouring liquor through the mixture using a circulation pump;
- wherein the scoured and brightened fibers have a brightness in a range between about 30 and about 60 as measured by Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) 525 standard test method.
A method of reducing the amount of residual shive in non-wood fibers, the method comprising:
- forming a mixture of non-wood fibers having a mean length of at least 7 millimeters (mm) into a fiber mat within a perforated basket within a kier;
- and
- scouring the mixture in the perforated basket with a scouring liquor comprising oxygen gas to provide scoured and low-shive fibers, the scouring comprising radially circulating the scouring liquor through the mixture using a circulation pump;
- wherein the scoured and low-shive fibers have less visible shive content than the fibers of the mixture before exposure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.