Process for producing paper and absorbent products of increased strength
AssigneeWeyerhaeuser Company
InventorsJerry R. Speaks, Roger O. Campbell, Michael A. Veal
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for producing paper and absorbent products of increased strength includes extracting wood particulates with a solvent selected from methanol, ethanol, and acetone at a pressure less than 50 psi to reduce the pitch and volatile organic compounds of the particulates without significant dissolution of lignin and cellulosic components. The wood particulates are pulped to produce a pulp with reduced pitch content. A slurry is prepared from the pulp and used to form paper products.
Claims13
A process for producing paper and absorbent products of increased strength, the process comprising:
- (a) extracting wood particulates with a solvent selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol and acetone at a pressure less than 50 psi to reduce pitch and volatile organic compound content without significant dissolution of lignin and cellulosic components from the particulates;
- (b) pulping the extracted wood particulates of reduced pitch content to produce a reduced pitch content pulp;
- (c) preparing a slurry of the reduced pitch content pulp;
- and
- (d) forming paper products from the slurry.
A process for producing paper and absorbent products of increased strength, the process comprising:
- (a) contacting wood particulates, containing naturally-occurring pitch and naturally-occurring volatile organic compounds, with an extraction solvent for the pitch and the volatile organic compounds to extract at least a portion of the pitch and a portion of the volatile organic compounds from the wood particulates into the solvent, at a pressure less than 50 psi without significant dissolution of lignin and cellulosic components of the wood, to produce extracted particulates, said solvent being selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol and acetone;
- (b) separating the extracted wood particulates from the solvent;
- (c) pulping the extracted particulates to produce a pulp of reduced pitch and volatile organic compound content;
- (d) preparing a slurry of the reduced pitch and volatile organic compound-content pulp;
- and
- (e) forming paper or absorbent products, of reduced pitch content, from the slurry of reduced pitch content pulp, the step of forming releasing substantially reduced emissions of naturally-occurring volatile organic compounds as compared to forming from a pulp obtained from wood particulates with naturally-occurring levels of volatile organic compounds.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.