Regulation of superoxide anion radicals in bagasse alkali-oxygen pulping to enhance delignification selectively

Abstract

Alkali-oxygen pulping has received increasing attention as an environmentally compatible pulping process; however, the resulting pulp has low yield and properties due to carbohydrate degradation. In this work, the effect of regulating superoxide anion radicals (O2-•) on delignification selectivity in alkali-oxygen pulping was investigated. The pulp was characterized by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Lignin removal was improved by the regulation of O2-• in the 1,2,3-trihydroxybenzene auto-oxidation system with addition of sodium 2-anthraquinonesulfonate, especially for the pulp from cooking time 120 min. The degree and selectivity of delignification were improved with alkali-oxygen pulping when sodium 2-anthraquinonesulfonate was added to facilitate the generation of superoxide anion radicals. The results showed that the increased fiber liberation was beneficial for the accessibility of O2-• to lignin, which would improve the removal of lignin with negligible damage on cellulose, especially with regards to crystal area.