Patents Examined by Anna L. Kinney
  • Patent number: 7198695
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for separating hemicelluloses from a biomass containing hemicelluloses. The method includes the steps of: a) extracting the hemicelluloses from the biomass containing hemicelluloses by treating them with a complex compound in an aqueous solution, and forming a soluble hemicellulose complex, and b) separating the complexed hemicelluloses from the biomass. The method is especially suitable for producing high-quality chemical conversion pulp from raw cellulose. The products produced with the method of the invention have a high degree of purity, and the method is extremely economical and causes few emissions. Hemicelluloses in a pure form can be obtained as by-products of the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2007
    Assignee: Rhodia Acetow GmbH
    Inventors: Gerhard Kettenbach, Armin Stein
  • Patent number: 7141139
    Abstract: In a process and an arrangement for directing a papermaking pulp towards a regulated outlet (9), accept from successive cleaning stages (6, 14, 20) is totally or partly led towards the outlet (9) while excess accept is led in the opposite direction to the inlet (5) of the preceding cleaning stage (6). For feeding of a forming wire, a common base pipe (8) for collecting accept extends between the outlet (9) and a feeding (3) for fresh pulp, while reject pipes (11, 18) lead to the next cleaning stage (14, 20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2006
    Assignee: Pom Technology Oy AB
    Inventors: Paul O Meinander, Juha Lahti, Risto Nykanen
  • Patent number: 7115187
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for continually producing a suspension of cellulose in an aqueous tertiary amine oxide. The method includes (a) mixing cellulose and an amine oxide-free aqueous phase to form a cellulose suspension in a mass ratio in the range of 1:3 to 1:40, (b) dehydrating the cellulose suspension, wherein the dehydrated cellulose suspension has a cellulose content in the range of 20 to 80 percent-by-mass; (c) mixing the cellulose suspension with an aqueous amine oxide while the cellulose suspension is falling through a vertical fall zone to obtain an aqueous amine oxide-cellulose suspension with an amine oxide content in the range of 70 to 80 percent-by-mass; and (d) conveying the aqueous amine oxide-cellulose suspension through a horizontal shear zone. The invention also relates to a device for carrying out this method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2006
    Assignee: Alceru Schwarza GmbH
    Inventors: Ralf-Uwe Bauer, MUwe Kind
  • Patent number: 7097738
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for producing pulp from a fibre-based raw material using, as the cooking reagent, a solvent mixture which is based on organic acids and also contains furfural. The method is applicable to herbaceous plants, in particular.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Chempolis Oy
    Inventors: Esa Rousu, Pasi Rousu, Juha Anttila, Päivi Rousu
  • Patent number: 7077931
    Abstract: The method is for bleaching cellulose pulp in a bleach line that has at least two bleaching steps. The filtrate distribution is led up through the bleaching line counter-currently to the flow of cellulose pulp established in the bleaching line. A single joint main conduit is used for the bleaching steps. Wash filtrates obtained from the wash steps, used after or before the bleaching step, are led in conduits to branch locations on the train conduit that are positioned downstream of the branch location for drawing off of wash and/or dilution liquor for the wash step in question. All branch points in the joint main conduit are in fluid communication with one another along the main conduit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2006
    Assignee: Kvaerner Pulping AB
    Inventors: Vidar Snekkenes, Lennart Gustavsson
  • Patent number: 7074299
    Abstract: A method of processing papermaking fiber includes characterizing the initial color of the pulp and the color of the pulp after treatment with a phloroglucinol stain. The color response of the pulp to the stain has been found to be a better indicator of processing needs for secondary pulps in particular and in any event is selective for untreated groundwood as opposed to conventional groundwood identification methods. The color difference is used to target a suitable product for the pulp, to aid in bleaching/deinking strategy or to enable optimization of fiber blending for particular products. In a preferred embodiment the process includes determining changes in CIE L*, a*, b* and brightness values before and after staining of the pulp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2006
    Assignee: Fort James Corporation
    Inventors: Henry Chou, Hazen C. Thomas, Andrew C. Palm, Terry P. Witkowski, Robert J. Clausing, Stephanie Keen, David J. DiPietro
  • Patent number: 7029554
    Abstract: A method for brightening pulp at a pH from 4.5 to 9. The method comprises the steps of: (a) combining an alkali metal borohydride, an alkali metal hydroxide, an alkali metal bisulfite and phosphoric acid to form a reducing solution; and (b) adding the reducing solution to a pulp slurry in an amount from 0.1% to 4% of hydrosulfite based on dry pulp fiber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Rohm and Haas Company
    Inventor: Rangamannar Goda
  • Patent number: 6966970
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for supplying washing liquid to a digester (1) for cellulose pulp and a subsequent diffuser washing device (2a, 2b). A high, disturbance-free production capacity can be obtained by using a common feed pump (P1) which, via a main feed line (10), supplies both the diffuser washing device and the digester with washing liquid in parallel. The first pump (P1) establishes a pressure on the washing liquid which is in the interval 2–6 bar, and is preferably 4 bar, while the second pressure level, which is established by the diffuser pump device (P2a, P2b), is in the interval 6–12 bar, but is at least 2 bar higher than the first pressure level, and the third pressure level, which is established by the digester pump (P3), is in the interval 12–25 bar The system becomes self-regulating in the event of any operational disturbances in the flow of washing liquid and, if the pumps are appropriate, a countercurrent flow of washing liquid through the system is essentially maintained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2005
    Assignee: Kvaerner Pulping AB
    Inventors: Vidar Snekkenes, Lennart Gustavsson
  • Patent number: 6946057
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a new and environmentally sound process for the manufacturing of a chemical pulp from lignocellulosic material with an integrated recovery system for recovery of pulping chemicals. The process is carried out in several stages involving a pre-treatment stage followed by one or more delignification stages using an alkaline buffer solution comprising alkali metaborate and sodium carbonate as major components. The alkaline components of the pulping liquor are recovered from a chemicals recovery furnace and at least a portion of the alkali is recycled and used for delignification without any prior reactions with lime or calcium compounds for generation of alkali hydroxide. A quinone based delignification catalyst may be added to be present during delignification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2005
    Assignee: Kiram AB
    Inventor: Lars Stigsson
  • Patent number: 6923888
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for treating bleaching liquors from pulping processes based on organic acids. The process is characterized in that inorganic acid, such as nitric acid, phosphoric acid and/or sulphuric acid, is added into a bleaching liquor obtained from the bleaching or a stage closely associated with bleaching, whereby organic acids contained in the bleaching liquor are released into the bleaching liquor. The organic acids are then separated from the bleaching liquor and recycled to the cooking stage to be used as cooking chemicals. The nitrogen-, phosphor- and/or sulphur-containing product thereby produced, from which organic acids have been separated, is recovered to be used as a fertilizer or as raw material for a fertilizer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2005
    Assignee: Chempolis Oy
    Inventors: Pasi Rousu, Päivi Rousu, Esa Rousu, Juha Anttila