ABSTRACT
The efficiency of oxygen delignification is very low for pulps of low number kappa and with high concentrations of hexenuronic acids, therefore the oxygen does not react with these acids, so being minimum the elimination of these during the oxygen delignification (pre-O2) in simple or double stage. In this study, the physicalmechanical properties of pulp of kappa number 17 and 14, produced with modified cooks and with the application of AD(EO)D techniques for pulp of kappa 17 and DHT(EPO)DP for pulp of kappa 14 for the bleaching up to 90% ISO, had been investigated. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the physicalmechanical properties in pulps submitted to the bleaching sequences without oxygen in the beginning of the sequence. As references, cooks had been carried until numbers kappa 17 and 14, oxygen delignification and conventional bleaching for sequences A/D(EO)D for pulp of kappa 17 and DHT(EPO)DP for pulp of kappa 14. The alternative bleaching, without pre-O2, resulted in bleached pulps with bigger integrity that of the reference, what it was confirmed by the values significantly higher of bulk, tear index, opacity and air resistance of the pulp weakly refined (for tissue papers). However, the high integrity of the fibers from pulps bleached with alternative processes lowered their conformabilities and collapsibility, with consequent reduction of tensile index of the pulp weakly refined. Therefore, with more intensive beating (for printing and writing papers), the tensile index was recovered. The high integrity of the bleaching pulps without pre-O2 makes beating difficulty. To reach the draining degree of 35°SR with the pulps proceeding from alternative processes of bleaching, it was necessary to apply 30% more energy than the reference.
Keywords:
physical-mechanical properties; modified cooking; bleaching; delignification degree; Hexenuronic acid; cellulose, Eucalyptus