Abstract: Methods for producing mechanical pulp are disclosed including impregnating softwood chips with water and a complexing agent, refining the impregnated chips in a first refining step including a double-disk refiner, fractionating the refined softwood pulp to produce a reject portion comprising beteen about 15 and 35% of the refined pulp and including an increased concentration of the long and stiff fibers therein, refining the reject portion in second and third refining steps in which the second refining step employs a greater concentration of pulp than does the third refining step, and fractionating the refined pulp.

Abstract: A method for producing mechanical pulps which are useful for producing coated light weight paper, magazine paper and the like, is disclosed, which includes preheating lignocellulose-containing material in the presence of impregnation chemicals, refining the preheated lignocellulose-containing material utiilizing a pair of counter-rotating refining discs under pressure, bleaching the thus produced partially refined lignocellulose-containing material, and refining the bleached material in a second refining step utilizing a pair of refining discs, one of which is stationary and the other which is rotating under pressure.