Effect of autohydrolysis on the wettability, absorbility and further alkali impregnation of poplar wood chips

Published Date
September 2016, Vol.216:317–322, doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2016.05.096

Title 
Effect of autohydrolysis on the wettability, absorbility and further alkali impregnation of poplar wood chips

• Author 

• Ningpan Xu
• Wei Liu
• Qingxi Hou ^,
• Peiyun Wang
• Zhirong Yao

• Tianjin Key Laboratory of Pulp & Paper, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457, PR China

Received 30 March 2016. Revised 6 May 2016. Accepted 7 May 2016. Available online 25 May 2016.

Highlights

• •
  Autohydrolysis with different severity factors for poplar wood chips was done.
• •
  Absorbed amount of NaOH solution in the autohydrolyzed chips were increased.
• •
  Wettability and absorbility of the autohydrolyzed poplar wood chips were improved.
• •
  Autohydrolysis can promote NaOH impregnation of the poplar wood chips.

Abstract

Autohydrolysis with different severity factors was performed on poplar wood chips prior to pulping, and the wettability, absorbility and the following impregnation of NaOH solution for the poplar wood chips were then investigated. The results showed that after autohydrolysis pretreatment the porosity, shrinkage and fiber saturation point (FSP) of the poplar wood chips were increased, while the surface contact angle decreased as the severity factor was increased. The autohydrolyzed chips absorbed more NaOH in impregnation that resulted in a low NaOH concentration in the bulk impregnation liquor (i.e., the impregnation liquor outside wood chips), while the concentration in the entrapped liquor (i.e., the impregnation liquor inside wood chips) was increased. Autohydrolysis substantially improved the effectiveness of alkali impregnation.

Keywords

• Autohydrolysis
• Impregnation
• Poplar wood chips
• Absorption

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• ⁎ 
  Corresponding author.

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