Pretreatment Of Pulp Research Articles

Impact of xylanase pretreatment on peroxide bleaching stage of hemp pulp

Pretreatment of hemp pulp with xylanase was investigated. Unbleached hemp pulp was treated with commercial xylanase, and then bleached with hydrogen peroxide. Control pulp bleached with out xylanase was compared with xylanase bleached pulp. Application of xylanase was found to have a positive effect on followed peroxide stage in terms of low kappa number and high brightness of pulp.

Increased Water Resistance of CTMP Fibers by Oat (Avena sativa L.) Husk Lignin

The insertion of oat husk lignin onto chemithermomechanical pulp (CTMP) fibers was studied to increase fiber hydrophobicity. The pretreated pulp samples were subsequently used for preparation of handsheets for characterization. Treatment of CTMP with laccase in the presence of oat husk lignin resulted in a significant increase in hydrophobicity of the handsheet surface, as indicated by dynamic contact angle analysis. Water absorption time of 8 s was obtained with initial contact angle of 118°. Although the handsheet's brightness was reduced by 33%, tensile index was only subtly decreased. Neither laccase nor oat husk lignin alone gave much improved water absorption times. Therefore, handsheets made of laccase-treated pulp with and without oat husk lignin were further examined by XPS, which suggested that both laccase and oat husk lignin were inserted onto CTMP fibers. The oat husk lignin was distributed as heterogeneous aggregates on the handsheet surface whereas laccase was uniformly distributed. Evidence was obtained that the adsorbed laccase layer formed a noncovalent base for the insertion of oat husk lignin onto fiber surfaces.

Biopulping and its potential to reduce effluent loads from bleaching of hardwood kraft pulp

Mixed hardwood chips were treated with lignin-degrading fungi to study the effect of fungal pretreatment on bleaching characteristics of kraft pulp. Pretreated wood chips were subjected to reduced active alkali doses in comparison to untreated chips. Comparable results were obtained for pretreated chips with reduced alkali dose as was obtained with higher dose of alkali in case of untreated chips. Fungal treatment made the process more energy-efficient, and 4.8% less chlorine was consumed in comparison to the control process. Pretreatment with Ceriporiopsis subvermispora was responsible for reduction of 4.7% in lignin contents, 14.3% permanganate number, and overall reduction of 15.5 kg/T of Cl2 consumption. The pollution load in terms of COD and BOD at the CD stage was reduced by 32.6% and 41.5% respectively, whereas 12% reduction in AOX compounds was observed in effluent of pretreated pulp.

Potential of xylanase from thermophilic Bacillus sp. XTR-10 in biobleaching of wood kraft pulp

An extracellular xylanase produced under optimal conditions by a thermophilic strain of Bacillus sp. XTR-10 was evaluated for its potential application in biobleaching of wood kraft pulp. Spectrophotometric analysis showed considerable release of lignin derived compounds and chromophoric material by the xylanase treated pulp samples. Xylanase was found to be effective in the liberation of reducing sugars in the pulp filtrates with increment in enzyme dose and reaction time. Eight hours pretreatment with 40 IU of xylanase/g of dry pulp resulted in 16.2% reduction of kappa number with 25.94% ISO increase in brightness as compared to the control. The same treatment slightly lowered the tensile strength and burst index, however. Enzyme pretreatment of the pulp saved 15% active chlorine charges in single step and 18.7% in multiple steps chemical bleaching with attainment of brightness at the level of the control. These results indicate the potential of enzymatic pretreatment of pulp for reduction in environmental discharge of hazardous waste from the pulp and paper industry.

Pre-treatment and ethanol fermentation potential of olive pulp at different dry matter concentrations

Renewable energy sources have received increased interest from the international community with biomass being one of the oldest and the most promising ones. In the concept of exploitation of agro-industrial residues, the present study investigates the pre-treatment and ethanol fermentation potential of the olive pulp, which is the semi solid residue generated from the two-phase processing of the olives for olive oil production. Wet oxidation and enzymatic hydrolysis have been applied aiming at the enhancement of carbohydrates' bioavailability. Different concentrations of enzymes and enzymatic durations have been tested. Both wet oxidation and enzymic treatment were evaluated based on the ethanol obtained in a subsequent fermentation step by Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Thermoanaerobacter mathranii. It was found that a four-day hydrolysis time was adequate for a satisfactory release of glucose and xylose. The combination of wet oxidation and enzymatic hydrolysis resulted in the glucose and xylose concentration increase of 138 and 444%, respectively, compared to 33 and 15% with only enzymes added. However, the highest ethanol production was obtained when only enzymic pre-treatment was applied, implying that wet oxidation is not a recommended pre-treatment process for olive pulp at the conditions tested. It was also showed that increased dry matter concentration did not have a negative effect on the release of sugars, indicating that the cellulose and xylan content of the olive pulp is relatively easily available. The results of the experiments in batch processes clearly emphasize that the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) mode is advantageous in comparison with the separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) mode concerning process contamination.

Influence of UV pretreatment on the abies wood catalytic delignification in the medium “acetic acid–hydrogen peroxide–TiO2”

Some regularities of abies-wood oxidative delignification by acetic acid–hydrogen peroxide mixture under the action of suspended TiO2 catalyst and UV pretreatment of wood pulp were studied. The combined action of TiO2 catalyst and of UV-pretreatment of abies-wood allow to produce at optimal conditions of the delignification process the chemically pure cellulose containing no residual lignin. The major characteristics of cellulose product obtained from abies-wood correspond to the characteristics of microcrystalline cellulose.

Enhanced production of cellulase-free xylanase by alkalophilic Bacillus subtilis ASH and its application in biobleaching of kraft pulp

This paper reports high level production of a cellulase-free xylanase using wheat bran, a cost-effective substrate, under submerged fermentation by alkalophilic Bacillus subtilis ASH. Production of xylanase was observed even at alkaline pH up to 11.0 and temperature 60 °C, although the highest enzyme titer was recorded at neutral pH and 37 °C. The enzyme production under optimized fermentation was 1.5-fold greater than under unoptimized conditions. Pre-treatment of unbleached pulp of 10% consistency with crude xylanase (6 IU/g o.d. pulp) at 60 ºC for 2 h increased the final brightness by 4.9%. The enzyme treatment reduced the chlorine consumption by 28.6% with the same brightness as in the control. A reduction in kappa number and increase in viscosity was observed after enzyme pre-treatment. Scanning electron microscopy revealed loosening and swelling of pulp fibers. The strength properties viz. grammage, fiber thickness, beating degree, tensile index, breaking length, tear index and double fold of the treated pulp were improved as compared to the control pulp. This study reveals the potentialof B. subtilis ASH xylanase as a biobleaching agent for the paper and pulp industry.

Cloning and expression of GH11 xylanase gene from Aspergillus fumigatus MKU1 in Pichia pastoris

A xylanase gene, xynf11a of Aspergillus fumigatus MKU1 was cloned and expressed in Pichia pastoris X33. Two exons of the xynf11a gene were amplified separately and fused by overlap extension PCR. The fused product was cloned in yeast expression vector pPICZB and expressed in P. pastoris under the control of the AOX1 promoter. P. pastoris transformants expressing recombinant xylanases were selected on xylan agar plate and their ability to produce the xylanase was evaluated in flask cultures. P. pastoris X33 (pZBxynf11aFP) efficiently secreted the recombinant xylanase into the medium and produced the high level of xylanase activity (14 U/ml) after 96 h of growth. The recombinant xylanase produced by P. pastoris showed maximum activity at pH 6.0 and temperature 60 degrees C. The recombinant xylanase did not exhibit any cellulase activity and hence it could be potentially used for pretreatment of paper pulp before bleaching.

Comparison of Various Hardwood Kraft Pulp Pre-Bleaching Techniques

We examined five pre-bleaching methods with the same starting hardwood kraft brownstock pulp to determine their effects on reducing bleaching costs. Each pretreated pulp was subjected to a D(EP)D bleaching sequence. A D1 brightness curve as a function of the percent applied chlorine dioxide (ClO2) was obtained for each of these pre-bleaching methods and for a baseline pulp sample. For each of the pre-bleaching methods, we calculated the amount of ClO2 required to obtain D1 stage 79.1% ISO brightness and determined the net cost savings for each sequence. Pre-bleaching methods that produced a net savings in the D1 stage were also subjected to a four-stage bleaching sequence of D(EP)DD to 89%ISO brightness. We also determined net cost savings resulting from pretreat-ment of the fully bleached pulps. The methods examined were mild acid pretreatment, xylanase enzyme pre-bleach-ing, brownstock peroxide pretreatment, acidic brownstock peroxide treatment, and xylanase enzyme followed by acidic peroxide pretreatment. Enzyme pretreatment and small applications of acidic peroxide pretreatment resulted in net D1 stage cost savings at 79.1% ISO brightness. Only enzyme pretreatment resulted in a net savings at 89% ISO.

Modification of paper properties by the pretreatment of wastepaper pulp with Graphiumputredinis, Trichodermaharzianum and fusant xylanases

Graphiumputredinis, Trichodermaharzianum and fusant were used in the present study to produce extracellular xylanases, an important industrial enzyme used in pulp and paper industry produced in a minimal medium supplemented with oat spelt xylan (1%, w/v) pH 7.0 at 27±2°C. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity by DEAE–Cellulose and Superdex 75 FPLC column, respectively. The enzyme was found to be a monomer as determined by SDS gel electrophoresis. The optimum pH and temperature for purified G. putredinis, T. harzianum and fusant xylanases were 5.0–6.0 and 50–70°C, respectively. Pretreatment of paper pulp with G. putredinis, T. harzianum and fusant xylanases decreased pulp kappa number. Xylanases particularly that of fusant at 5IU/g pulp concentration and 1.5% pulp consistency at 60°C for 18h followed by EDED process yielded good quality paper from waste paper pulp. A significant increase in pulp brightness and improvement in various pulp properties, viz. burst capacity, thickness and bulkness of the treated pulp were observed in comparison to the conventional chemical bleaching. Easy purification and high stability of these enzymes makes it amicable for industrial applications.

Effects of pretreated polysulfonamide pulp on the ablation behavior of EPDM composites

Abstract Excellent ablative properties of ethylene–propylene–diene elastomer (EPDM) composites were obtained by adding pretreated polysulfonamide pulp (PSA-pulp). The effects of pulp pretreatment and pulp content on the mechanical and ablative properties of PSA-pulp/EPDM composites were studied. Experimental results showed that the tensile strength decreased slightly and the ablative properties increased by 3 folds on addition of 10 phr pretreated PSA-pulp. This significant improvement in the ablative properties was attributed to the enhanced dispersion degree and improved interfacial adhesion of pretreated PSA-pulp to EPDM matrix, which were observed from scanning electron microscopy. The ablation behavior of pretreated PSA-pulp/EPDM composites was proposed in accordance with the characterizations of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), energy disperse X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and pyrolysis-gas chromatograph–mass spectrometry (Py-GC–MS). The carbonized PSA-pulp acted as a skeleton in retaining the char layer and reduced the material loss during the high temperature ablation.

Potential Application of Alkaline Pectinase from Bacillus subtilis SS in Pulp and Paper Industry

Pectinase production from Bacillus subtilis SS was optimized under solid-state fermentation (5,943 U/g of dry bacterial bran). The pectinase produced was stable in neutral to alkaline pH range at 70 degrees C; therefore, the suitability of this pectinase in pulp and paper industry was investigated. The enzyme pretreatment process was optimized, and a pectinase dose of 5 IU/g of oven-dried pulp (10% consistency) at pH 9.5 temperature 70 degrees C after 150 min of treatment gave the best pretreatment to the pulp. An increase of 4.3% in brightness along with an increase of 14.8 and 65.3% in whiteness and fluorescence, respectively, whereas a 15% decrease in the yellowness of the pretreated pulp were observed. There was a 5.85% reduction in kappa number and 6.1% reduction in permanganate number along with a reduction in the chemical oxygen demand value. Significant characteristics showed by pectinase open new possibilities of application of this cellulase-free enzyme in the pulp and paper industry by reducing the negative environmental impact of chemicals apart from improving the properties of paper.

Bleaching of kraft pulp by a commercial lipase: Accessory enzymes degrade hexenuronic acids

The potential of a commercial lipase for bleaching kraft pulp was investigated. Enzymatic treatment of hardwood and softwood kraft pulps before and after oxygen delignification resulted in a significant reduction of kappa number and hexenuronic acid content. Pretreatment of unbleached hardwood kraft pulp followed by a DE bleaching sequence gave the same kappa number as a control sequence but with considerably less chlorine dioxide. Two enzyme fractions containing high accessory enzyme activities were purified by size exclusion chromatography. These fractions demonstrated a high bleaching efficiency as well as a high selectivity, with a significant reduction in sugar released in the filtrate compared to commercial xylanase bleaching. This work provides the first evidence that the accessory enzymes from a commercial enzyme preparation can degrade hexenuronic acids and bleach kraft pulp.

Production and partial characterization of cellulase free xylanase by Bacillus subtilis C 01 using agriresidues and its application in biobleaching of nonwoody plant pulps

To optimize the solid-state cultivation conditions for xylanase production using agriresidues and testing the biobleaching efficiency of xylanase on nonwoody plant fibre materials. An extracellular cellulase free xylanase was produced from Bacillus subtilis C 01 using various inexpensive substrates under solid-state cultivation. High level of xylanase production (135 IU gds(-1)) was observed when grown on wheat bran followed by maize powder (50 IU gds(-1)). The maximum xylanase (136 IU gds(-1)) production was occurred in wheat bran-to-moisture ratio of 1 : 1 at 72 h. The xylanase pretreated pulp samples of banana, silk cotton and cotton showed an increased brightness of 19.6, 11.6 and 7.9%, respectively. The enzyme-aided biobleaching results indicate that the xylanase has potential application in enhancing the brightness of nonwoody plant fibre pulp. This is the first report on biobleaching of banana fibres, silk cotton and cotton pulps using xylanase. The biobleaching results of secondary fibres are promising and can be transferred to paper mills, which utilize nonwoody plant fibres as a raw material for paper production.

Arundo donax L. reed: New perspectives for pulping and bleaching. 5. Ozone-based TCF bleaching of organosolv pulps

Three selected alkali-based organosolv pulps (alkali-sulfite-anthraquinone-methanol (ASAM), alkali-anthraquinone-methanol (organocell) and ethanol-soda) from agrofibre crop giant reed ( Arundo donax L.) were bleached by an ozone-based TCF (totally chlorine- free) bleaching sequence AZE RQP (where A is an acidic pulp pre-treatment, Z is an ozone stage, (E R) is an alkaline extraction in the presence of reducing agent, Q is a pulp chelating, P is a hydrogen peroxide stage) without oxygen pre-bleaching, and compared with a conventional kraft pulp used as a reference. The different response on bleaching conditions within each bleaching stage was noted for all tested pulps. The pulp bleachability, in terms of brightness improvement or lignin removal per unit of applied chemicals, was found higher for the organocell pulp. The ASAM and ethanol-soda pulps showed the highest bleaching selectivity, expressed by viscosity loss per unit of lignin removed or brightness improved. The overall bleaching results of organosolv pulps were superior to kraft.

Use of a Plackett-Burman experimental design to examine the impact of extraction parameters on yields and compositions of pectins extracted from chicory roots (Chicorium intybus L.).

Chicory root pectin was isolated by acid extraction followed by alcohol precipitation. Because the extraction conditions have important effects on the features of pectins, an experimental design was used to study the influence of 17 different extraction parameters on yield and composition of pectin: pH, temperature, time of extraction, solid/liquid ratio, and different pretreatments of the pulps before extraction. Twenty extractions were conducted and examined for their significance on yield and sugar content using the Plackett-Burman factorial design. The acid extraction of chicory roots resulted in an average yield of 11% containing 86% of sugars. It was found that extraction temperature, time, protease pretreatment, water purity, and water washing of pulps significantly affected yield and pectin composition with an increase of yield and purity of pectin in harsher extraction conditions.

Impact of xylanase pre-treatment on peroxide bleaching stage of biokraft pulp

Abstract Biokraft pulping of aspen has been investigated. Wood chips were treated with CZ-3 and FP 90031-sp strains of white-rot fungus Ceriporiopsis subvermispora for 2 weeks. Afterwards, bleachability of the pulps in peroxide stage was evaluated. Two commercial xylanase enzymes were used for bleaching. Xylanase pre-treatment of pulps increased their ISO brightness properties by approximately 10%. Biokraft pulps were beaten more easily in comparison to the control kraft pulps. Meanwhile, a significant difference due to the fungal or enzymatic pre-treatments was not found in tensile or bursting strength properties of pulps. A strength correlation was found between freeness and alkaline solubility (S18) for pulps at equal beating conditions.

Improved Accessibility and Reactivity of Dissolving Pulp for the Viscose Process: Pretreatment with Monocomponent Endoglucanase

A high accessibility is an essential prerequisite for a homogeneous substitution of cellulose material. In this study, chemical and enzymatic pretreatments to increase the accessibility of cellulose materials have been investigated. Dissolving pulp has been treated with a monocomponent endoglucanase. Fock's method, a microscale process similar to the viscose process, showed an increase in cellulose yield. Simultaneously, the viscosity decreased. To clarify whether the increase in reactivity was due solely to the decrease in the degree of polymerization, the dissolving pulp was also subjected to acid hydrolysis. At a given viscosity level, the enzymatic pretreated pulp had a higher reactivity than the pulp subjected to acid hydrolysis. To achieve 100% reactivity, according to Fock, the acid-treated pulp showed a lower molecular weight compared to the enzymatic-treated pulp. A monocomponent endoglucanase can thus be used to increase the reactivity and accessibility of dissolving pulp in the viscose process.

Biochemical substitution of fungal xylanases for prebleaching of hardwood kraft pulp

Xylanase enzymes of three fungi, Aspergillus indicus, A. flavus and A. niveus, were purified and characterized. The enzymes are used in the pretreatment of Hardwood kraft pulp prior to conventional alkali extraction and conventional chlorine extraction sequence (EDED process) normally used for bleaching of pulp. In the enzyme pretreated pulp when subjected to alkali extraction process the kappa number was reduced to a maximum of 5.0, 6.2 and 6.8 from 18.60 and the brightness was increased to a maximum of 43.12, 42.20 and 45.19 ISO units, respectively, from 19.83 by xylanases of A. indicus, A. flavus and A. niveus. Whereas, in the enzyme pretreated pulp, when subjected to EDED process, the maximum reduction in kappa number of 6.7, 7.2 and 7.1 and a maximum increase in brightness of 41.28, 41.06 and 41.07 ISO units, respectively, were observed in case of A. indicus, A. flavus and A. niveus.

Biobleach boosting effect of recombinant xylanase B from the hyperthermophilic Thermotoga maritima on wheat straw pulp

The recombinant xylanase B (XynB) of Thermotoga maritima MSB8 was found to be highly specific towards xylans and exhibit very low activity towards carboxymethylcellulose in previous study. XynB was thermostable at neutral to alkaline pH region at 90 degrees C and retained more than 90% activity after 1 h over the pH range of pH 6.1 to 11.1. The suitability of XynB for use in the biobleaching of wheat straw pulp was investigated. Pretreatment of the pulp with XynB resulted in a substantial improvement in the bleachability of wheat straw pulp. When XynB at 10 U g(-1) was used to treat wheat straw pulp, it reduced pulp kappa number by 1.1 point, enhanced pulp brightness by 5.5% (% ISO) and improved other pulp properties, such as tensile index and breaking length. Biobleaching of wheat straw pulp with XynB saved active chlorine up to 34.5% while still maintaining the brightness at the control level. Besides, pretreatment of pulp with XynB was also effective at an alkaline pH as high as pH 10.1. This is the first report on the potential application of XynB from T. maritima MSB8 in the pulp and paper sector.