Ionic polymers (IP) are made of anions and a polymeric backbone containing cations. The ionic polymers are incorporated in membranes or attached to solid supports and use of the ionic polymers in processing of biomass.

The disclosure provides a system for production of reactive intermediates from lignocellulosic biomass. The reactive intermediates can be used as platform chemicals for biological conversions or can be further catalytically upgraded to be used as drop in reagents for fuels. The disclosure provides methods and compositions useful for processing biomass to biofuels and intermediates.

The invention relates to a process for treating a lignocellulosic biomass comprising a solids content of not more than 80% by weight, said process comprising the use of at least one reactor (9,14) for treating said biomass, in which the or at least one of said reactors is fed with biomass via a feed means (6,11) creating a pressure increase between the biomass inlet and the biomass outlet of said feed means, in which said feed means is washed by circulation of a washing fluid between a washing inlet (7,12) and a washing outlet (8,13). According to the process, at least a portion of the washing fluid (8,13) exiting the fluid outlet of the at least one feed means (6,11) is reintroduced into the washing inlet of the same feed means or of another of said feed means.

The disclosure provides a system for production of reactive intermediates from lignocellulosic biomass. The reactive intermediates can be used as platform chemicals for biological conversions or can be further catalytically upgraded to be used as drop in reagents for fuels. The disclosure provides methods and compositions useful for processing biomass to biofuels and intermediates.

A method of producing chemical pulp including at least the following steps: a) wood chips or other comminuted ligno-cellulosic fibrous material is treated with a polysulfide-containing cooking liquor in an impregnation stage at a temperature of 90-145 C., and b) slurry of fibrous material from step a) is heated into cooking temperature and cooked for producing pulp having a desired kappa number. After step a) mercaptide ions are added into the slurry of fibrous material and the fibrous material is treated at cooking temperature in step b).

The present invention relates to an improved process for producing chemical cellulose pulp wherein biopolymers are added immediately before, during or after a bleaching step, depending on pulp characteristics and on process conditions used. The biopolymers according to the present invention are starches chemically modified by an etherification reaction. This treatment results in a differentiated pulp having improved physical, chemical and mechanical properties when compared with cellulose pulps obtained by traditional processes. The use of said biopolymer alters the relations between important pulp properties rendering their application in papermaking process advantageous. This differentiation increases the possibilities of use and also of new applications, including for the substitution of pulps produced from other cellulose sources. Thus, the present invention also relates to methods of making paper, such as printing, writing, decorative, special or tissue-type papers, through the use of the cellulose pulps modified by the above process.

Disclosed are non-wood pulps having a fiber length greater than about 1.70 mm and a brightness of about 80% or greater. The relatively high degree of brightness is achieved without a loss of fiber length or pulp yield. The high degree of brightness and relatively long fiber length make the pulps well suited for the manufacture of wet-laid fibrous products, particularly wet-laid tissue products. The pulps may be prepared from plants of the family Asparagaceae by mechanical pulping and more preferably by a chemi-mechanical pulping using a sodium hydroxide alkaline peroxide solution where the primary pulp is cleaned to reduce debris prior to bleaching. Preferably the cleaned primary pulp has less than about 5 wt % debris prior to bleaching.

A method of increasing the throughput and/or decreasing the energy usage of a pulping process includes the steps of providing a plurality of lignocellulosic chips, providing a refining composition, applying the refining composition to the plurality of lignocellulosic chips, and mechanically refining the plurality of lignocellulosic chips to form pulp. The refining composition includes water and a lubricating additive including the reaction product of a sugar and an alcohol. The step of applying the refining composition to the lignocellulosic chips is conducted less than 5 minutes prior to, or concurrently with, the step of mechanically refining the wood chips to form pulp.

The present invention relates to an improved process for producing chemical cellulose pulp wherein biopolymers are added immediately before, during or after a bleaching step, depending on pulp characteristics and on process conditions used. The biopolymers according to the present invention are starches chemically modified by an etherification reaction. This treatment results in a differentiated pulp having improved physical, chemical and mechanical properties when compared with cellulose pulps obtained by traditional processes. The use of said biopolymer alters the relations between important pulp properties rendering their application in papermaking process advantageous. This differentiation increases the possibilities of use and also of new applications, including for the substitution of pulps produced from other cellulose sources. Thus, the present invention also relates to methods of making paper, such as printing, writing, decorative, special or tissue-type papers, through the use of the cellulose pulps modified by the above process.

The invention relates to a method for reducing pulp viscosity in production of dissolving pulp. The method comprises producing cellulose pulp, whereby the obtained cellulose pulp has a cellulose content of at least 90%, and bleaching the obtained cellulose pulp. The cellulose pulp is treated after bleaching with performic acid.