Manganic ion delignification of lignocellulosic material

A process for delignifying lignocellulosic pulps with manganic ion, which comprises the steps of:

• (a) impregnating a lignocellulosic pulp slurry having a consistency of from 1% to about 30%, by weight of oven-dried pulp, with manganous sulfate, said manganous sulfate having a manganous ion concentration of from about 1% to about 10%, by weight of oven-dried pulp;
• (b) mixing the impregnated pulp slurry with an amount of sodium hydroxide equal to the stoichiometric quantity of sodium hydroxide required to precipitate the soluble manganous ion as insoluble manganous hydroxide;
• (c) aerating the pulp slurry with an oxygen-containing gas without further addition of alkali and in the absence of alkali at a pressure of from about atmospheric to about 200 psig and at a temperature of from about 20.degree. C. to about 150.degree. C. for a period of time sufficient to oxidize substantially all of the maganous hydroxide to manganic hydroxide;
• (d) acidifying the pulp slurry with an amount of sulfuric acid which is stoichiometrically proportional to the amount of manganic hydroxide present in the pulp slurry to lower the slurry pH to between about 1 to about 2 release soluble maganic ions to oxidize the pulp lignins, said manganic ions being reduced to manganous ions by the pulp lignins and forming an effluent containing manganous ions;
• (e) separating the effluent containing manganous ions from the pulp slurry with a non-alkaline wash and recycling the effluent to step (a);
• and then
• (f) extracting the oxidized lignins from the pulp slurry with from about 1% to about 10% sodium hydroxide, by weight of oven-dried pulp, at from about 20.degree. C. to about 100.degree. C., for about 10 minutes to about 180 minutes, at a pulp consistency of from about 3% to about 20%.