REMOVAL OF HEMICELLULOSES BY NaOH PRE-EXTRACTION FROM ASPEN CHIPS PRIOR TO MECHANICAL PULPING

Hemicelluloses can be removed from wood chips prior to mechanical pulping, which would offer new feedstocks for the production of chemicals and fuels. The aim of this study was to evaluate pre-extraction to maximize pre-extraction yield, while minimizing negative impacts on wood chips. The effects of three independent process variables (NaOH charge, pre-extraction temperature, and time) on three dependent variables (pre-extraction yield, xylan extraction yield, and cellulose content based on original wood) were studied using a Box-Behnken experimental design. The mathematical models were obtained and validated well. It was found that NaOH charge, time, interaction between NaOH charge and time, and interaction between temperature and time have significant effects on xylan extraction yield. The xylan extraction yield was 22.55%; i.e., about 37.3 kg of xylan could be extracted from one ton of oven-dried aspen chips under the conditions of 5.68% NaOH charge, 100 °C, and 35 min.