Effect of H2O2 bleaching with ultrasonication on the properties of thermomechanical pulp and unbleached kraft pulp

Abstract

H2O2 was used in the final stage of a multistage bleaching process to increase ISO brightness by 2-3%, because of the poor selectivity and bleachability. However, concerns about the environmental load of the bleaching process have led to the efficient use of oxygen-derived compounds, with a concomitant decrease in the quantity of chlorine-derived compounds consumed. In this study, thermomechanical pulp (TMP) and unbleached kraft pulp (UKP) were bleached with H₂O₂ and ultrasonicated in order to increase the bleaching efficiency, and the effects of some bleaching conditions such as treatment time, treatment concentration, and temperature were determined. The best bleaching efficiency of pulp was obtained using H₂O₂ with ultrasonication (at 20 kHz) of the pulp mixture at 45 °C for 30 min. The ISO brightness of the bleached pulp increased up to 1.9%, although the bleached pulp yield was slightly reduced to 1.5%. Magnesium sulfate was used as a bleaching stabilizer to increase the bleached pulp yield and viscosity. As a result, the bleached pulp yield and viscosity increased by 2.1% and 10%, compared with fully bleached pulp at the end of the process, respectively, despite a decrease in ISO brightness.