Abstract: A method of treating wood chips prior to making paper. In the process of making paper, wood chips must be converted to pulp through delignification of the wood and where white paper is required, bleaching to remove residual lignin also is required. The invention provides for the situation where wood chips are transported long distances by ship to paper mills, when the period of the journey is utilised to carry out pulping of the wood chips by biotechnological methods. Particularly, the conditions commonly existing in the hulls of the ships with which wood chips are transported are utilized to permit biopulping and/or biobleaching of the wood chips to occur. Suitable microorganisms, while in the form of viable propagules, are applied to the wood chips before or during loading into the hulls of ships, the microorganisms incubating and growing during the journeys, to permit biopulping and/or biobleaching to occur.

Abstract: The invention describes a method for dispersion of cellulose based fibers in water. The raw material, which particularly may be recycled paper, is first wetted with water. By a combination of addition of hydrocolloid which binds water, and strong kneading at high solid content, the mixture is transformed into a modulable paste. The high viscosity of the paste effectively conveys the shear forces of the kneading machine to make the fibers flexible and tear them apart. When the kneading is terminated, the hydrocolloid prevents the fibers from reassociation into fiber bundles.

Abstract: An apparatus produces elongate multi-fiber particles of extremely small size to facilitate substantially complete penetration of high consistency pulp fibers by ozone when exposed thereto. A housing is provided having first and second ends and a substantially smooth interior housing surface. A means is provided for introducing high consistency wood pulp into the housing. A source of ozone gas bleaches the high consistency pulp within the housing. A pin rotor is rotatably mounted within the housing, and includes a plurality of pins, each pin having a pin tip. A means is provided means for limiting the build up of high consistency pulp fiber accretions on the pin tips.

Abstract: In the bleaching of kraft cellulosic pulps employing a stage in which the pulp is contacted simultaneously with gaseous chlorine and ozone, the improvement in which the pulp at a low to high consistency is initially chlorinated with hypochlorous acid and thereafter is contacted substantially simultaneously with gaseous chlorine and ozone. The pulp so processed exhibits enhanced brightness and good viscosity, and the process produces low quantities of environmentally undesirable chlorinated organics. The bleaching sequence of M(C+Z).sub.g ED is disclosed.

Abstract: This invention provides for the recovery of lignin and other by-products from the pulping of fibrous plant material. In accordance with this invention, solvents and filtrates are recovered and recycled for reuse. This results in significant solvent and energy savings. Filtrates from the bleaching and delignification of the pulp are recycled for reuse in pulping, separation, and recovery of lignin and other by-products which results in significant energy savings and mitigation if not the elimination of pollution typically associated with bleaching. This invention also relates to products derived from the process and apparatus for carrying out the process. Lignins of various molecular weights and by-products of the pulping process are also recovered. The lignins are precipitated in high yields and at a high rate from a black liquor produced by pulping wood at high temperature and pressures. As a by-product of this process a purified furfural product is recovered.

Abstract: Wood pulps are bleached and/or delignified using soybean peroxidase. A protease, xylanase, ligninase, pectin esterase, pectin lyase or manganese peroxidase may also be used simultaneously or as a pretreatment or posttreatment.

Abstract: A process for delignifying and bleaching lignocellulose-containing pulp, in which the pulp is delignified with a peracid or a salt thereof, treated with a complexing agent, and subsequently bleached with a chlorine-free bleaching agent. Suitably delignification is carried out with the strongly oxidizing peracetic acid, giving a considerable increase in brightness and a considerable reduction of the kappa number after bleaching with a chlorine-free bleaching agent comprising at least one of a peroxide-containing compound, ozone or sodium dithionite, or optional sequences or mixtures thereof. The brightness increasing effect is highly selective, i.e. the viscosity of the pulp is maintained to a comparatively great extent. Both the delignification and the treatment with a complexing agent are advantageously carried out at a close to neutral pH, thus minimizing the need of pH adjustment and making it possible to use spent bleach liquor internally, e.g. for washing the pulp.

Abstract: A process for preparing a fried bean flavor which comprises preparing a bean paste, hydrolysing the bean paste with a proteinase and a carbohydrase, and reacting the hydrolysed bean paste at an elevated temperature with an edible fat or oil and lecithin.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for treating and particularly bleaching pulp contacts a pulp with a gaseous reaction medium in a reactor tower. The pulp is fluffed and refined before being added to the pulp bed and then homogeneously permeated with the gaseous reaction medium to produce a uniformly treated pulp. A distribution device is included in the reactor to uniformly distribute the pulp in the reactor and form a homogenous pulp bed having a substantially even upper surface and uniform bed depth.

Abstract: An elementally chlorine-free method for the delignification and bleaching of pulp which involves the use of a neutral monoperoxysulfate bleaching step to delignify and thus brighten the pulp. The process achieves good selectivities above about 3 even at high delignification degrees of 60% or greater.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for rapid heat transfer using surface-to-surface heat transfer of a solid or semi-solid feedstock against an inner surface of a containment vessel. The vessel is torus or helically shaped so that a feedstock (and products) can be conveyed through the vessel at a velocity which sustains the feedstock against the outer periphery of the internal surface of the vessel as it transits the vessel. The reaction vessel can be used for pyrolysis of materials such as waste rubber, municipal solid waste, plastics or papers so as to recover valuable petrochemical-based liquid reaction products as well as solid reaction products. The reaction vessel may also be used for gasification and combustion reactions.

Abstract: The process uses a mixture of cellulases and xylanases to chemically change the hardwood vessel elements, rendering them susceptible to breaking under normal mill refining, thus not requiring any additional refining equipment. The process involves treating bleached hardwood brownstock pulp with the cellulase/xylanase mixture. The use of a pure cellulase enzyme is excluded.

Abstract: Bleaching of cellulose pulp with peroxide is accomplished and has the advantages of conventional pressurized peroxide bleaching without the need for a large pressurized vessel. Pulp at a consistency of between about 8-20% is mixed with peroxide and introduced into a first relatively-small treatment vessel where it is held at a pressure of between about 3-20 bar, and is treated for between 10-60 minutes. Pulp reacts with the peroxide so that there is less than 5 kg of hydrogen peroxide per ton of pulp remaining, and then between about 40-90% of the gas is separated from the pulp at or adjacent discharge of the pulp from the first vessel. The pulp is then passed to a second substantially-unpressurized bleaching tower having an interior volume at least about twice as great as the first vessel. The pulp is introduced into the bottom of the second vessel and flows upwardly in it and is discharged from adjacent the top of the second vessel.

Abstract: A process of delignifying and bleaching a chemical wood pulp with hydrogen peroxide and dicyandiamide as an activator provides a higher degree of delignification and brightness of the pulp and overcomes problems of fibre degradation. The process comprises adding hydrogen peroxide and dicyandiamide as a bleaching activator to a chemical wood pulp slurry under alkaline conditions.

Abstract: An automated system and method for measuring the residence time of wood pulp as it moves through various stages of processing in a pulp mill. A tracer compound comprising a neutral salt of a halogen is introduced into a first location in the path of the pulp slurry; at a second location an automated detector detects the concentration of tracer compound over a time period; a controller relays a voltage signal from the detector to a processor which uses a calibration curve to integrate tracer concentration over time and thereby derive pulp residence, between the first and second locations.

Abstract: A method of washing cellulosic pulp to remove dissolved solids as well as dirt, inorganic fillers and fiber debris. A mat of cellulosic pulp having a weight of 3 to 100 lbs. of dry fiber per 1000 sq.ft. is positioned between a pair of porous endless belts to provide a composite structure. The composite structure is moved in a generally vertical path of travel through a vessel containing a plurality of superimposed rolls and the composite structure is passed over the rolls in a manner in which a first of the belts is in direct contact with one roll and the second of the belts is in direct contact with the next adjacent roll. A stream of water is directed against the composite structure as it travels in the upper portion of the vessel, and the water is cascaded downwardly through the vessel and directed into contact with opposite sides of the structure to thereby remove dissolved solids, as well as inorganic fillers. The tension of the belts as they pass over the rolls creates a dewatering action.

Abstract: A method for separating lignocellulosic material into (a) lignin, (b) cellulose, and (c) hemicellulose and dissolved sugars. Wood or herbaceous biomass is digested at elevated temperature in a single-phase mixture of alcohol, water and a water-immiscible organic solvent (e.g., a ketone). After digestion, the amount of water or organic solvent is adjusted so that there is phase separation. The lignin is present in the organic solvent, the cellulose is present in a solid pulp phase, and the aqueous phase includes hemicellulose and any dissolved sugars.

Abstract: The efficiency by which pulp cooking liquor components penetrate the wood and enable lignin and resins to be removed from the cellulosic materials is increased by contacting wood chips and the like with a liquid mixture comprised of white liquor containing at least one surfactant selected from the group consisting of a polymethylalkylsiloxane; a co- and terpolymer of silicone and a polyhydric alcohol; an alkoxylated aryl phosphate; an alkoxylated branched alkyl phosphate; an alkoxylated branched alcohol; an alkyl polyglycoside, an alkoxylated alkyl polyglycoside; a mixture of alkali metal salts of alkyl aromatic sulfate, a sulfosuccinate and a silicone; and combinations thereof; for a residence time effective to extract resinous components without substantial degradation of cellulose and thereafter heating at least a portion of the resulting mixture and wood chips.

Abstract: The use of hot water extraction (pH 7-8, 165.degree. F.) in place of an alkaline extraction in pulp bleaching sequences between an ozone delignification stage alkaline wash and a brightening stage allows higher strength pulp to be achieved at essentially the same brightness levels using reduced overall amounts of bleaching chemicals. In addition, effluents from pulp washing stages following these treatments can be recycled without generating scale in process equipment because the solubility of salts that could form such scale is significantly greater in these effluents.

Abstract: The process uses a mixture of cellulases and xylanases to chemically change the hardwood vessel elements, rendering them susceptible to breaking under normal mill refining, thus not requiring any additional refining equipment. The process involves treating hardwood brownstock (unbleached) pulp with a cellulase/xylanase mixture. The use of a pure cellulase enzyme is excluded.