Chlorine-Free Bleaching of Kraft Pulp from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches

Abstract

Chlorine-free bleaching was carried out on kraft pulp from oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) with an oxygen (O 2 ) -acid (H 2 SO 4 ) -ozone (O 3 ) -hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) bleaching sequence. The κ-number (= an indicator of lignin content) of the pulp was reduced considerably after these processes indicating that most of the lignin present in the pulp can be removed using this chlorine-free sequence. Handsheets of both bleached and unbleached EFB pulp were prepared and their paper properties were determined. Brightness, a measure of the whiteness of paper, was achieved to ca. 75% for the bleached EFB pulp, showing a possibility of achieving 80% of brightness by chlorine-free bleaching. Paper strengths as indicated by tensile, tear and burst indices as well as stretch did not show significant differences between before and after bleaching. It is notable that these results were obtained despite a large decrease in viscosity by the bleaching process. Moreover, the EFB bleached pulp showed comparable strengths to hardwood pulps, indicating that EFB has the potential as a raw material for chemical pulp production using chlorine-free bleaching sequences.

Hydrogen peroxide bleaching of cellulose pulps obtained from brewer’s spent grain

“…A brightness of 71.3% is a good value considering the simplicity of the bleaching process employed and the use of a chlorine-free sequence. Tanaka et al (2004) achieved 73-74% brightness in a Kraft pulp produced from oil palm empty fruit bunches, after bleaching with a more arduous four steps sequence using O 2 , acid, O 3 and H 2 O 2 . Tutus (2004) obtained a soda-oxygen-anthraquinone rice straw pulp with 68.34% brightness using a bleaching procedure of only one peroxide stage.…”

“…For example, pulping black liquors contain high amounts of phenolic compounds, which have a powerful toxic effect on microorganisms even at low concentrations (Mishra et al 1995;Fortuny et al 1998); and the pulps bleached with chlorinated chemicals (chlorine and chlorine dioxide) produce chlorolignins highly resistant to biodegradation, as well as other polluting compounds that could be acutely toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic (Rahmawati et al 2005). Although the chlorine and its derivatives are effective and cheap bleaching agents (Bianchi et al 1999), environmental concerns have created a need for new technologies using other non-polluting bleaching sequences for pulp, based on the use of elemental chlorine-free or totally chlorine-free procedures (Rahmawati et al 2005;Tanaka et al 2004;Tutus 2004).…”

Potensi Pemanfaatan Limbah Tandan Buah Kosong Kelapa Sawit Sebagai Bahan Alternatif Pulp

“…Apabila dimulai pada tahun 2013 biomassa EFB diolah untuk pulp dengan rendemen 40% (Tanaka 2004), maka produksi pulp selama periode 2013 mencapai 10,3 juta ton dan terus meningkat menjadi 19,78 juta ton di tahun 2025.…”

“…(2011) bahwa komposisi limbah EFB terdiri atas 58% air, 0,80% Nitrogen, 0,06% Fospor, 0,24% Kalium dan 0,18% Magnesium. EFB dapat menghasilkan kertas yang baik dengan tingkat keputihan (brightness) mencapai 75 -80% dapat diolah dengan teknik kimia pencucian klorin ( ) (Tanaka ., 2004).…”

Recycling Effects on the Properties of Pulp Fiber Sheets Produced from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch

“…In this regard, the effects of different cooking methods on the chemical composition and yield have been investigated, in addition to the use of assorted bleaching techniques [2] [3]. Examples include kraft or soda cooking of the EFB pulp, followed by bleaching using oxygen-ozonehydrogen peroxide [4] and acid hydrolysis pretreatmentsoda/anthraquinone cooking followed by ozone bleaching [3]. The basic properties of paper produced from EFB pulp have also been studied [5].…”