Reaction engineering and mixing in pulp and paper processes

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Chemical pulp production is a major resource-based Canadian industry that continues to struggle with increased global competition, a fluctuating Canadian dollar and aging infrastructure. To improve the competitive position of the industry, improvement and innovation in pulping processes must be achieved and a reduction in manufacturing costs realized. The projects described in this research proposal aim to reduce chemical use in pulping and bleaching operations and improve product uniformity and quality (creating marketing opportunities and the possibility of increased production), as well as look to future possibilities in the industry. Three projects are proposed: The first is to determine how mixing processes impact the production and properties of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) which is being studied as a source of novel and value-added products from pulp fibre. Mixing and reaction engineering can influence generation of the nano-scale products, and the work proposed will examine this in the context of NCC generation and properties. The second project will examine the production of polysulfide, a chemical additive shown to markedly improve pulp yield when present in the cooking liquor. We will develop a reaction engineering model for polysulfide generation (which will include relevant mass transfer processes and new kinetic information) as a tool for reactor design and optimization. The work will also be extended to examine existing pulp liquor oxidation processes (particularly white liquor oxidation). Finally, our ongoing work examining macroscale mixing of pulp suspensions has identified several opportunities worth pursuing, including mixing and flow in two industrially important mixer configurations. The experimental techniques developed in our research group will be applied to these mixer configurations.