Upgrading Spent Liquors from NSSC Process I: Identification and Quantitation of Organic Components

AREA, M.C., FELISSIA, F.E., NÚÑEZ, C.E., VENICA, A.D., VALADE, J.L.

CELLULOSE CHEMISTRY AND TECHNOLOGY

Romanian Academy, Publishing House of the Romanian Academy

Año: 2000 vol. 34 p. 173 - 182

0576-9787

Modern trends require for pulping processes friendlier to the environment. In NSSC (Neutral Sulfite Semi-Chemical) process there is a need for disposing spent liquors economically and ecologically. A better knowledge of solubilized substances, and suitable separation techniques are desired. The present work is concerned with the identification and quantification of organic components in spent liquors. Hybrid poplar (Populus deltoides) was used as raw material. Twenty-nine spent liquor samples were analyzed. Two procedures and several methods for organic materials determinations were used. Solvent extraction, and HPLC using common detection arrangements (UV and refraction index) were applied. They have shown to be useful and simple to perform for the determination of organic material balances. The content of different organic materials present in all spent liquors was: lignosulfonates: 59 - 69 %, hemicelluloses: 2 - 24 %, simple sugars: not detected, acetic acid: 12 - 29 % and formic acid: 1.6 - 2.4 %.