High yield, low cost cellulosic pulp and hydrated gels therefrom

The process of making high yield low cost cellulosic pulp which comprises:

• (a) mechanically defiberizing lignocellulose by mechanically abrading lignocellulose pieces in an atmosphere of steam at a pressure of from 100 to 170 psi and corresponding temperatures for saturated steam for a time sufficient to reduce the lignocellulose to a fibrous product having a Clark classifier fiber size of less than 10% plus 12 mesh,
• (b) mixing with the fibrous product from 1% to 20% by weight, dry fiber basis, of lime,
• (c) adjusting the consistency of the resulting mixture of aqueous lignocellulosic pulp and lime to a consistency of from 10 to 25%,
• (d) digesting the fiber to pulp form in the presence of the lime to a final pH of from 6 to 8 at steam pressures of from 75 to 125 psi and corresponding temperatures for saturated steam for a digestion period of from 30 to 90 minutes to digestion temperature and from 5 to 60 minutes at said digestion temperature, and
• (e) mechanically beating the resulting digested fiber in aqueous medium until it is substantially converted to a hydrated cellulosic gel product.