A pulp in accordance with a particular embodiment includes crosslinked cellulose fibers. The pulp can have high brightness, reactivity, and intrinsic viscosity. The pulp, therefore, can be well suited for use as a precursor in the production of low-color, high-viscosity cellulose derivatives. A method in accordance with a particular embodiment of the present technology includes forming a pulp from a cellulosic feedstock, bleaching the pulp, crosslinking cellulose fibers within the pulp while the pulp has a high consistency, and drying the pulp. The bleaching process can reduce a lignin content of the pulp to less than or equal to 0.09% by oven-dried weight of the crosslinked cellulose fibers. Crosslinking the cellulose fibers can include exposing the cellulose fibers to a glycidyl ether crosslinker having two or more glycidyl groups and a molecular weight per epoxide within a range from 140 to 175.

The present invention is directed to a method for scouring and increasing the brightness of non-wood fibers. The method comprises forming a mixture of non-wood fibers, exposing the mixture to a scouring liquor and a scouring agent comprising oxygen gas to form a scouring mixture, and scouring the scouring mixture by radially circulating the scouring liquor throughout the scouring mixture to provide scoured fibers.

A pulp fiber with an enhanced carboxyl content resulting in improved antimicrobial, anti-yellowing and absorptive properties. Methods for making the kraft pulp fiber and products made from it are also described.

A pulp fiber with an enhanced carboxyl content resulting in improved antimicrobial, anti-yellowing and absorptive properties. Methods for making the kraft pulp fiber and products made from it are also described.

The present invention is directed to a method for scouring and increasing the brightness of non-wood fibers. The method comprises forming a mixture of non-wood fibers, exposing the mixture to a scouring liquor and a scouring agent comprising oxygen gas to form a scouring mixture, and scouring the scouring mixture by radially circulating the scouring liquor throughout the scouring mixture to provide scoured fibers.

In some embodiments, a method may include reducing the microbial load in contaminated water of water recycle loops. These water recycling loops may include pulp and paper mills, cooling towers and water loops, evaporation ponds, feedstock processing systems and/or non-potable water systems. The methods may include providing a peracetate oxidant solution. The peracetate solution may include peracetate anions and a peracid. In some embodiments, the peracetate solution may include a pH from about pH 10 to about pH 12. In some embodiments, the peracetate solution has a molar ratio of peracetate anions to peracid ranging from about 60:1 to about 6000:1. In some embodiments, the peracetate solution has a molar ratio of peracetate to hydrogen peroxide of greater than about 16:1. The peracetate solution may provide bleaching, sanitizing and/or disinfection of contaminated water and surfaces. The peracetate oxidant solution may provide enhanced separation of microbes from contaminated water.

The present invention provides reconstituted tobacco and a preparation method thereof, and belongs to the technical field of tobacco. The preparation method provided by the present invention includes the steps of: subjecting tobacco stems to hot-water extraction and pulping by mill successively to obtain tobacco stem pulp; mixing the tobacco stem pulp with alkaline matter for oxygen delignification in an oxygen environment to obtain oxygen-delignified tobacco stem pulp, where the alkaline matter includes one or more of sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate; mixing the oxygen-delignified tobacco stem pulp with tobacco pulp, calcium carbonate and a retention agent, and subjecting the mixture to a papermaking process in the paper machine to obtain reconstituted tobacco sheets; and coating the reconstituted tobacco sheets with a concentrated tobacco extracting solution to obtain reconstituted tobacco. By means of the oxygen delignification of the tobacco stem pulp in the present invention, the lignin component in tobacco stems is partially removed, and the reconstituted tobacco prepared from processed tobacco stems and other raw materials has a soft flavor without wood smell.

The present invention is directed to a method of increasing the brightness of non-wood fibers. The method comprises forming a mixture of non-wood fibers and exposing the mixture to a brightening agent, the brightening agent being a permanganate compound, an acid, or a combination of the permanganate compound and the acid. The resulting brightened fibers have a brightness greater than the fibers of the mixture before exposure as measured by MacBeth UV-C standard.

The present invention is in the field of delignifying and/or bleaching of pulp, more in particular wood pulp. Such a process is useful in paper production. More in particular, the method relates to the use of an enzyme for delignification and/or bleaching, more in particular a bacterial laccase. Even more in particular, it provides a method for delignifying and/or bleaching of a pulp, comprising an enzymatic treatment step wherein lignin-containing pulp and a laccase are reacted at alkaline pH, wherein the laccase has an amino acid sequence according to SEQ ID NO: 1 or an amino acid sequence at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NO: 1.

The present invention is in the field of delignifying and/or bleaching of pulp, more in particular wood pulp. Such a process is useful in paper production. More in particular, the method relates to the use of an enzyme for delignification and/or bleaching, more in particular a bacterial laccase. Even more in particular, it provides a method for delignifying and/or bleaching of a pulp, comprising an enzymatic treatment step wherein lignin-containing pulp and a laccase are reacted at alkaline pH, wherein the laccase has an amino acid sequence according to SEQ ID NO: 1 or an amino acid sequence at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NO: 1.