Process and apparatus for the deresination and brightness improvement of cellulose pulp

Abstract

A process and apparatus are provided for the deresination and brightness improvement of cellulose pulp, by adjusting the pulp concentration to within the range from about 15 to about 35%; adding sufficient alkali to the pulp to bring the amount of alkali, calculated as NaOH, within the range from about 0.5 to about 17 g/kg of water accompanying the pulp; adding sufficient oxidizing bleaching agent to the pulp to bring the amount of oxidizing bleaching agent to within the range from about 0.2 to about 22 g/kg of water; subjecting the pulp to a mild, mechanical working in the bite of twin interdigitated rotating screws at an energy input of from 8 to 100 kWh per ton of pulp; removing and reacting the pulp with the added alkali and bleaching agent for from about 0.1 to about 5 hours; and then washing out dissolved resin from the pulp.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.