Method for improving fiber quality and process efficiency in mechanical pulping
AssigneeNalco Company
InventorsPrasad Y. Duggirala, Sergey M. Shevchenko
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This invention provides a composition and method for improving a mechanical pulping process by decreasing freeness and amount of shives, providing energy and chemical savings, and enhancing brightness and mechanical strength of a paper product made from a pulp material in the process. The composition includes formulations, such as surfactants, chelants, hydrotropes, reductive and oxidative pulp modifiers, and pH-controlling chemicals. The method includes selectively introducing these formulations to the pulp material in the mechanical pulping process.
Claims15
A method of improving a mechanical pulping process, said method comprising:
- contacting a pulp material with a surfactant composition including an effective amount of an alkyl alcohol alkoxylate surfactant having formula RO[(CH2CHCH3O)X(CH2CH2O)Y]M;
- wherein R is C4 to C40 straight, branched, or ring alkyl, X is from 1 to about 50, Y is from 0 to about 100, and M is H or an alkali metal;
- introducing to the pulp material at least one hydrotrope,
- and optionally introducing to the pulp material separately from the surfactant composition, as part of the surfactant composition, or with the surfactant composition but not as part of the surfactant composition one or more formulations selected from the group consisting of one or more additional surfactants;
- one or more chelants;
- one or more reductive pulp modifiers;
- one or more oxidative pulp modifiers;
- one or more pH-controlling chemicals;
- and combinations thereof,
- wherein the mechanical pulping process is one selected form the list consisting of:
- stone ground wood;
- pressurized ground wood;
- refiner mechanical pulp;
- pressurized refiner mechanical pulp;
- thermo-refiner mechanical pulp;
- thermo-mechanical pulp, and wherein substantially all of the surfactant composition is passed along with the pulp material into a refiner and wherein the resulting paper has a higher brightness than if the alkyl alcohol alkoxylate surfactant had not been added.
A method of improving a mechanical pulping process, said method comprising:
- contacting a pulp material with a surfactant composition including an effective amount of an alkyl alcohol alkoxylate surfactant having formula RO[(CH2CHCH3O)X(CH2CH2O)Y]M;
- wherein R is C4 to C40 straight, branched, or ring alkyl, X is from 1 to about 50, Y is from 0 to about 100, and M is H or an alkali metal;
- introducing to the pulp material about 0.001 weight percent to about 5 weight percent of at least one hydrotrope, based on oven-dry pulp,
- and introducing to the pulp material separately from the surfactant composition, as part of the surfactant composition, or with the surfactant composition but not as part of the surfactant composition one or more formulations selected from the group consisting of one or more additional surfactants;
- one or more chelants;
- one or more reductive pulp modifiers;
- one or more oxidative pulp modifiers;
- one or more pH-controlling chemicals;
- and combinations thereof, wherein the mechanical pulping process is one selected form the list consisting of stone ground wood;
- pressurized ground wood;
- refiner mechanical pulp;
- pressurized refiner mechanical pulp;
- thermo-refiner mechanical pulp;
- thermo-mechanical pulp, and wherein substantially all of the surfactant composition is passed along with the pulp material into a refiner.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.