Abstract: The method solves the problem of delignifying technical cellulose pulp in a selective manner which will result in very low residual contents of lignin in the pulp and a correspondingly high quantity of lignin dissolved in spent liquors, which are recovered in the chemical recovery system of the pulp mill. The method comprises activating liquid-containing lignocellulosic material in the presence of nitrate with a gas that contains nitrogen dioxide, followed by the alkaline delignification of the lignocellulosic material, and measuring the acidity of the liquid accompanying the material on at least one occasion during the activation. The method is characterized in that the acidity of the liquid is measured subsequent to bringing the time derivative of the nitrate concentration of the liquid, expressed as millimols per liter of liquid per minute, to a level beneath +0.

Abstract: A process is provided for activating cellulose pulp using NO and/or NO.sub.2 plus oxygen gas in the presence of nitric acid, added in an amount within the range from about 0.1 to about 1.0 gmole per kg of water accompanying the cellulose pulp at a temperature within the range from about 40.degree. to about 120.degree. C. for a time at an activating temperature of 40.degree. to 50.degree. C. of from 15 to 180 minutes, at from 50.degree. to 90.degree. C. of from 5 to 120 minutes, and at higher temperatures of from 1 to 10 minutes, followed by washing, and delignifying bleaching in an alkaline medium with or without oxygen gas and/or peroxide.

Abstract: A process is provided for the activation and delignification of cellulose pulp, which comprises:(1) subjecting chemical cellulose pulp to activation by reaction with nitrogen dioxide in the presence of water at a temperature within the range from about 20.degree. to 120.degree. C., while(a) separating gas containing at least 1.2 mml nitrogen oxides, including NO, per liter of gas determined at 25.degree. C. and calculated as nitrogen, reacting nitrogen oxides in said withdrawn gas with oxygen gas in an amount within the range from about 10 to about 200 mole percent, calculated on the amount of NO present, and recycling the reacted gas to the activation; and(b) separating gas containing less than 0.4 mml nitrogen oxides, including NO, per liter of gas determined at 25.degree. C. and calculated as nitrogen from the cellulose pulp and removing said gas from the process; and(2) delignifying the activated cellulose pulp.

Abstract: Apparatus for reacting lignocellulosic material with a gas phase comprising a nitrogen oxide and oxygen under controlled gas pressure in the presence of water, for example, as a pretreatment before an alkaline delignification, comprising in combination:(1) a first reaction chamber receiving water-containing lignocellulosic material, nitrogen oxide, and optionally oxygen containing gas;(2) a first inlet for introducing lignocellulosic material into the first reaction chamber;(3) a second inlet with control means for introducing nitrogen oxide into the first reaction chamber;(4) a first outlet for withdrawing lignocellulosic material after reaction with oxide from the first reaction chamber;(5) gas locks retaining gas pressure in the first reaction chamber at each of the first inlet outlet;(6) a second reaction chamber in connection with the first reaction chamber via the gas lock at the outlet thereof and receiving lignocellulosic material after reaction with nitrogen oxide;(7) a third inlet with control means

Abstract: A process is provided for reducing carbohydrate losses in the sulphate pulping of wood using sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide, by pretreating the wood in the presence of water with oxygen gas and nitrogen oxide such as NO.sub.2 and/or NO and/or polymeric oxides and double molecules thereof, for example, N.sub.2 O.sub.4 or N.sub.2 O.sub.3, for from about 3 to about 110 minutes at a temperature within the range from about 25.degree. to about 100.degree. C., the amount of nitrogen oxide charged, calculated as monomers, being within the range from about 0.05 to about 1 kilomole per 1000 kg bone-dry wood, resulting in one or several of the following advantages: an improved yield of pulp, an improved viscosity, and a reduced requirement for bleaching chemicals in any subsequent bleaching stages.

Abstract: A process is provided for producing nitrogen oxides from aqueous waste cellulose pulp liquors containing nitrogen compounds including oxygen linked to nitrogen in the molecule, which includes initiating an autocatalytic reaction generating nitrogen oxide in a liquid phase comprising aqueous waste cellulose pulp liquor containing nitrogen compounds including oxygen linked to nitrogen in the molecule at a temperature within the range from about 40.degree. to about 180.degree. C. and at an acid pH within the range from about 0 to about 5 in the presence of nitrate ion NO.sub.3.sup.- in a concentration calculated as nitrogen within the range from about 0.2 to about 5 grams moles per kilogram of water and of lignin in a weight ratio lignin:water within the range from about 0.001:1 to about 1:1; and then continuing the autocatalytic reaction while maintaining a gas phase in contact with the liquid phase having a partial pressure of nitrogen oxide within the range from about 0.

Abstract: A process is provided for delignifying bleaching lignin-containing cellulose pulp which comprises:(1) activating cellulose pulp by reacting the pulp at a pulp consistency within the range from about 20% to about 60% and at a temperature within the range from about 20.degree. to about 130.degree. C. with a gas comprising NO.sub.2 and oxygen in the presence of water, sodium nitrate in an amount of at least 0.15 g mole per kg of water, and optionally nitric acid;(2) washing the activated pulp with water or an aqueous solution; and(3) treating the activated washed pulp with an aqueous alkaline solution at a temperature within the range from about 70.degree. to about 170.degree. C., optionally in the presence of oxygen gas until the lignin content of the pulp is so reduced that the Kappa number of the pulp is within the range from about 10 to about 60% of the Kappa number of the pulp entering the activating stage (1).

Abstract: A two-stage process is provided for the conversion of lignocellulosic material, for instance, wood, to cellulose pulp, first oxidizing the lignocellulosic material to form aldonic acid end groups, preferably bound with 1,4-glycosidic bonds, in the polysaccharides, in an alkaline medium in the presence of the oxidized form of a redox additive which is converted into a reduced form in reaction with the wood and/or products formed from the wood, withdrawing the alkaline medium and then reoxidizing the reduced form of the redox additive in the absence of the lignocellulosic material at a rate to maintain the oxidized form of the redox additive in a major proportion in the alkaline medium during oxidation of the lignocellulosic material by contacting the withdrawn alkaline medium with oxygen-containing gas, and then continuing the digestion in an alkaline medium at a temperature within the range from about 160.degree. to about 200.degree. C.

Abstract: A process for delignifying bleaching cellulose pulp in three stages, an activating stage, and first and second alkaline stages, NO and/or NO.sub.2 and O.sub.2, and optionally HNO.sub.3, being supplied to the water-containing pulp in the activating stage; in the first alkaline stage, alkali being supplied as carbonate, primarily HCO.sub.3.sup.-, with oxygen gas having a partial pressure, on average, of from 0 to 0.2 MPa, the lignin content of the pulp being lowered in this stage so that the Kappa number of the pulp after the stage is from 10 to 60% of the Kappa number of the pulp entering the activating stage; in the second alkaline stage, alkali being supplied as carbonate, primarily CO.sub.3.sup.=, with oxygen gas at a partial pressure, on average, of from 0.1 to 3 MPa.

Abstract: A two-stage oxygen bleaching of chemical cellulose pulp is provided, in which an alkaline oxygen bleaching stage is preceded by a nitrogen dioxide activating stage in which oxygen is added to the activating stage in an amount such that nitrogen monoxide formed as an intermediate during the activation process is consumed, so regulating the amount of oxygen added that when the activation reaction is practically complete, substantially all of the nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen monoxide has been consumed.

Abstract: A process is provided for the bleaching delignification of cellulose pulp with oxygen gas in the presence of alkali, wherein the pulp is first activated with nitrogen dioxide and then washed, preferably with water. The invention is characterized in that the acid solution obtained is used to pretreat the digested pulp subsequent to washing the pulp with waste liquor obtained from the oxygen gas bleaching delignification stage.

Abstract: A process is provided for the alkaline oxygen delignification and bleaching of chemical cellulose pulp while inhibiting degradation of carbohydrates in the pulp, due to the presence of one or more aromatic diamines, preferably having the diamine groups directly linked to an aromatic ring.