Caustic and enzymatic effects on dissolving pulp and its performance as specialty fiber

Chen Gong; Shujie Fan; Bin Yang; Yu Zhang; Jianping Ni; Zhenhua Su

doi:10.1515/npprj-2023-0004

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Caustic and enzymatic effects on dissolving pulp and its performance as specialty fiber

Chen Gong , Shujie Fan , Bin Yang , Yu Zhang , Jianping Ni and Zhenhua Su

Published/Copyright: July 7, 2023

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From the journal Nordic Pulp & Paper Research Journal Volume 38 Issue 3

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate an effective approach for improving the dissolving pulp properties for making specialty fiber. The caustic and enzymatic treatment of the properties of dissolving pulp was conducted by analyzing the macromolecular structure and chemical composition. The results showed that the enzymatic treatment was more effective on influencing the macromolecular properties, while the caustic treatment had more influence on structural changing, mainly cellulose crystal structure and crystallinity. Meanwhile, to maintain a higher purity and higher brightness, caustic treatment would be beneficial in comparison with enzymatic treatment. The performance of caustic treated sample was evaluated in regarding to chemical composition and acetylation reaction performance, using commercial pulp as reference. The competitive feature of treated sample suggested its potential in future application.

Keywords: acetylation; caustic treatment; crystal structure; enzymatic treatment; macromolecular structure; specialty fiber

Corresponding author: Zhenhua Su, China National Pulp and Paper Research Institute Co., Ltd., Beijing, China, E-mail: hjbhjs@vip.126.com

Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
Research funding: This work has been supported by China National Pulp and Paper Research Institute Co., Ltd. through National Engineering Laboratory for Pulp and Paper Project No. 20200731 and Key Special Project for Science and Technology Innovation of Sinolight Corporation (ZQ2021JC04). The authors would also like to acknowledge the support from Dr. Chen Xiaolu in Nantong Zhuhai Kunming Cellulose Fibers Co., Technical Center for characterization of acetate fiber.
Conflict of interest statement: The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

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Received: 2023-01-19

Accepted: 2023-06-27

Published Online: 2023-07-07

Published in Print: 2023-09-26

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/npprj-2023-0004

Keywords for this article

acetylation; caustic treatment; crystal structure; enzymatic treatment; macromolecular structure; specialty fiber