High PH treatment of pulp in a bleach sequence to produce pulp having low D.P. and low copper number for use in lyocell manufacture

Abstract

A high pH and a low pH process for reducing the degree of polymerization of a pulp having a hemicellulose content of at least 7%. The high pH is greater than 8, and the low pH process is 2 to 8. The high pH process reduces the degree of polymerization without substantially increasing the copper number. The low pH process requires a subsequent treatment with alkali to reduce the copper number of the pulp to less than 2. The process can be practiced in pulp mills with a bleaching sequence having one or more E or D stages. At the end of the bleach sequence, a pulp having a degree of polymerization of 200 to 1100, a copper number of less than 2, and a hemicellulose content of at least 7% is provided. The pulp can be used to make lyocell fibers.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.