The performance of Acacia mearnsii De Wild for kraft pulping

Performance da madeira de Acacia mearnsii De Wild para polpação kraft

ABSTRACT

The growing worldwide interest in pulp produced from Acacia mearnsii encourages studies that prove its propensity and efficiency for this purpose. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the performance of Acacia mearnsii to produce kraft pulp, under different pulping conditions. Wood samples from seed production areas (SPA) and clones were evaluated. Kraft pulping was performed at constant H-factor (1363), and the active alkali varied from 14% to 24%. The wood density of clone and SPA samples was approximately 0.544 g/cm³. The chemical analysis revealed that the content of extractives, lignin, and carbohydrates was 4.67%, 16.66%, and 77.02%, respectively. The optimal pulping condition was obtained with active alkali of 14%, where kappa number was 16; screened pulp yield was 57%. The results show that Acacia mearnsii is an outstanding source of short fibers to produce kraft pulp.

Keywords:
Pulp yield; Wood chemistry; Wood properties