František Potůček

Displacement washing of kraft pulp cooked from a blend of hardwoods

The aim of this work was to investigate the displacement washing of kraft pulp manufactured from a blend of hardwoods. The experiments were carried out in a laboratory washing cell. In order to characterise the pulp fibres, the degree of freeness, kappa number, fibre length, as well as the specific volume and specific surface of swollen fibres were determined. The displacement washing process was described by displacement washing curves recorded for alkali lignin as a tracer. Mathematical treatment of the washing curves, obtained as a response to the step input signal, gave the Péclet number characterising the displacement of alkali lignin from the pulp pad. For detailed description of the displacement washing process, further parameters, such as the traditional wash yield, axial dispersion coefficient as well as the mean residence time and the space time were also evaluated. The results obtained for hardwood pulp were compared with those for softwood pulp published earlier. With respect to different chemical composition and morphological characteristics affecting both concentration of alkali lignin in mother liquor and physical properties of pulp pad, the displacement washing efficiency of hardwood pulp was found to be unambiguously greater in comparison with softwood pulp.

Displacement washing of pulp with urea solutions

Two basic mechanisms of displacement washing of pulp fibres were investigated. Experiments were carried out in a laboratory washing cell that simulated a single stage of displacement washing. The step-change method has been employed in investigation of alkali lignin profile in outlet stream of washing effluents. The addition of urea to wash water resulted in a decrease of the liquid layer immobilized on the fibre surface. It had a positive effect on the washing efficiency expressed in terms of the void local efficiency.

Displacement washing of soda rapeseed pulp

The paper deals with the displacement washing of unbleached pulp cooked from rapeseed straw by soda pulping under laboratory conditions. Pulp fibres were characterised by their average length, as well as by effective specific volume and surface. Using the step function input change method, the washing breakthrough curves measured for alkali lignin as a tracer were described by the dispersed plug flow model containing a dimensionless criterion, the Péclet number. Besides the wash yield, the dispersion coefficient as well as the mean residence time and space time were evaluated. Preliminary results obtained for soda rapeseed pulp were compared with those for kraft hardwood (beech) and softwood (spruce, pine) pulps published earlier. The wash yield measured for soda pulp was found to be lower than that for hardwood and softwood pulps which manifested lower hydraulic resistance. The presence of silique valves in rapeseed straw resulted in lower mean residence time of lignin removed from the pulp bed in comparison with pulp manufactured from stalks only.

Modelling Of Displacement Washing Of Pulp Bed Using Orthogonal Collocation On Finite Elements

Mechanism of displacement washing of packed bed of porous, compressible and cylindrical particles, e.g., fibers is presented with the help of an axial dispersion model involving Peclet number (Pe) and Biot number (Bi). Bulk fluid concentration and intra‐pore solute concentration are related by Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Model equations have been solved using orthogonal collocation on finite elements using Lagrangian interpolating polynomials as base functions. Displacement washing has been simulated using a laboratory washing cell and experiments have been performed on pulp beds formed from unbeaten, unbleached kraft fibers. Model predicted values have been compared with experimental values to check the applicability of the method.