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Formation of oxalic acid in alkaline peroxide treatment of different wood components

  • Matti Häärä EMAIL logo , Andrey Pranovich , Anna Sundberg and Stefan Willför
Published/Copyright: November 15, 2013
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Abstract

Oxalic acid (OA), formed as an oxidation product in alkaline peroxide bleaching (P) of mechanical pulps, can form a sparingly soluble salt with calcium and cause severe scale deposit problems. The focus of this work was the question how much OA is formed from the different components of spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), i.e., from cellulose, lignin, hemicelluloses, extractives, and bark, during the P-stage of bleaching. Isolated wood components and monosaccharides typical for spruce hemicelluloses and pectins were treated with chemicals of P-stage for 90 min at 73°C, and the released OA was analyzed by ion chromatography. Most OA was formed from galacturonic and glucuronic acids, xylans, and lignin. Taking into account the content of these substances in spruce wood, lignin can be regarded as the major source of oxalate. Untreated spruce bark was found to contain substantial amounts of oxalate, and an additional amount of oxalate was formed in the P-stage. It is evident that effective debarking is essential, not only for pulp brightness, but also for the control of calcium oxalate formation.


Corresponding author: Matti Häärä, Process Chemistry Centre, Laboratory of Wood and Paper Chemistry, Åbo Akademi University, Porthaninkatu 3, FI-20500, Turku, Finland, e-mail:

Acknowledgments

This work is part of the activities of the Process Chemistry Centre (PCC) at Åbo Akademi University. Jenni Rahikainen from VTT is acknowledged for supplying the EMAL lignin sample. Sappi Fine Paper Europe and Kemira are acknowledged for financing this work.

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Received: 2013-7-4
Accepted: 2013-10-1
Published Online: 2013-11-15
Published in Print: 2014-5-1

©2014 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston

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