Mid Sweden University

The project goal was to efficiently separate spruce fibers with preserved fiber stiffness and a low content of unsepa-rated fibers (shive content max~1%) using minimal amounts of electricity. The project tested process variants based on the .HT-CTMP-process concept. Above room temperature, the mechanical properties of water saturated wood are pri-marily determined by the lignin, which softens with increas-ing temperature and water content. The lignin is not evenly distributed in the wood structure, and the pattern of fiber separation in wood will therefore to a large extent be de-pendent on the properties of the lignin. The relative softening temperature increases with increasing strain rate. In me-chanical defibration at temperatures below the lignin soften-ing temperature, a large proportion of the fibers will frac-ture across the fiber direction. At elevated temperatures, above the lignin softening interval, an increasing proportion of the fibers will be separated in the middle lamella along the fiber axis, i.e. with a higher fiber separation selectivity. Sulfonation of wood reduces the degree of crosslinking in lignin and increases the charge. The structural change makes the wood softer at a certain temperature. In a pilot trial Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) chips were re-fined at 130, 160 or 180 degrees C after impregnation with 25 or 50 kg/ton sodium sulfite in a pH range from 4,5 to 12. The temperature was the most important factor affecting the shives/energy relation. The sulfite charge and the pH-level also affect the results, but less than the temperature within the evaluated range. The results show there is a potential to produce pulps with a shive content of about 1% using less than 200 kWh/ton at 180 °C in the pre-heater and inlet of the refiner. Producing a high yield, fiber material with pre-served fiber dimensions and low content of shives using a few hundred kWh/ton opens for new opportunities both in paper and board production, but also in new applications where the bonding between fibers is achieved by other means than in traditional paper and paperboard products.