Method for enhanced oxygen delignification of chemical wood pulps

Abstract

A method for producing a high yield Kraft pulp is provided. In particular, the method involves adding a composition comprising an organic amine phosphonate and a sulphonated linear alcohol ethoxylate surfactant to a pulping process. The composition enhances the delignification of cellulosic fiber in chemical wood pulps.

Claims

1. A method of producing an oxygen delignified Kraft pulp comprising: providing a Kraft pulp having an initial pulp viscosity and an initial kappa number of at least about 20 for hardwood pulps or kappa numbers of at least about 30 for softwood pulps; treating the Kraft pulp with a composition comprising: a) an organic amine phosphonate; b) a magnesium salt; and c) one or more anionic linear alcohols and ethoxylates; wherein the organic amine phosphonate is selected from diethylenetriamine pentamethylene phosphonic acid (DTMP), aminotrismethylene phosphonate (ATMP), (Bis)hexamethylenetriamine pentamethylene phosphonic acid (BHMTPMP), polyamino polyether methylenephosphonate (PAPEMP) and combinations thereof; wherein the anionic linear alcohols and ethoxylates is selected from sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES), sodium lauryl ether phosphate (SLEP), sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and combinations thereof; lowering the initial kappa number of the kraft pulp to a predetermined final kappa number, wherein the Kraft pulp is treated with the composition prior to a 2-stage oxygen delignification process; and wherein the final pulp viscosity remains higher when compared with an untreated oxygen delignified Kraft pulp.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the magnesium salt is selected from the group consisting of a magnesium divalent cation Mg.sup.2+, magnesium sulfate, magnesium sulfate heptahydrate.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the first stage of the 2-stage oxygen delignification process is from about 80 degrees Celsius (° C.) to about 100° C. and the temperature of the second stage is from about 90° C. to about 120° C.; and wherein the pressure of the first stage is from about 80 pounds per square inch (psi) to about 120 psi O.sub.2, and the pressure of the second stage is from about 25 psi to about 90 psi.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the Kraft pulp has a consistency of at least about 9% solids and an alkalinity of from about 2% to about 5% as equivalent NaOH on oven dry pulp.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the composition comprises: a) an organic amine phosphonate in an amount of from about 0.6 kg/MT to about 1.2 kg/MT by wt. of the total composition; b) magnesium salt .sub.[M″H1] in an amount of from about 0.1 kg/MT to about 3.2 kg/MT anhydrous basis; and c) from about 0.08 kg/MT to about 0.16 kg/MT by wt. of the total composition.

6. A method of producing an oxygen delignified Kraft pulp in a 2-stage delignification process comprising: providing a Kraft pulp having an initial kappa number of at least 20; and treating the Kraft pulp with a composition comprising: a) an organic amine phosphonate; and b) an anionic polyacrylate; wherein the organic amine phosphonate is selected from diethylenetriamine pentamethylene phosphonic acid (DTMP), aminotrismethylene phosphonate (ATMP), (Bis)hexamethylenetriamine pentamethylene phosphonic acid (BHMTPMP), polyamino polyether methylenephosphonate (PAPEMP) and combinations thereof; wherein the Kraft pulp is treated with the composition prior to the 2-stage oxygen delignification process; and wherein the initial kappa number of the pulp is lowered, and wherein the final pulp viscosity remains higher when compared with an untreated oxygen delignified Kraft pulp.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the anionic polyacrylate is a poly-alpha-hydroxyacrylate salt (PHAS).

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising adding a magnesium salt to the Kraft pulp.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the magnesium salt is selected from the group consisting of a magnesium divalent cation Mg.sup.2+, magnesium sulfate, and magnesium sulfate heptahydrate.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the temperature of the first stage of the 2-stage oxygen delignification process is from about 80 degrees Celsius (° C.) to about 100° C. and the temperature of the second stage is from about 90° C. to about 120° C.; and wherein the pressure of the first stage is from about 80 pounds per square inch (psi) to about 120 psi O.sub.2, and the pressure of the second stage is from about 25 psi to about 90 psi.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the pressure of the first stage is from about 90 psi to 110 psi O.sub.2 and the pressure of the second stage is from about 50 psi to about 90 psi O.sub.2.

12. A method of producing a 2-stage oxygen delignified Kraft pulp comprising: providing a Kraft pulp having an initial pulp viscosity and an initial kappa number of at least about 20 for hardwood pulps or initial kappa numbers of at least about 30 for softwood pulps; treating the Kraft pulp with a composition comprising: a) an organic amine phosphonate in an amount of from about 0.17 kg/MT to about 0.57 kg/MT by wt. of the total composition; b) magnesium salt in an amount of from about 0 kg/MT to about 3.2 kg/MT anhydrous basis; and c) an anionic polyacrylate in an amount of from about 0.43 kg/MT to about 1.43 kg/MT by wt. of the total composition; wherein the organic amine phosphonate is selected from the group consisting of diethylenetriamine pentamethylene phosphonic acid (DTMP), aminotrismethylene phosphonate (ATMP), (Bis)hexamethylenetriamine pentamethylene phosphonic acid (BHMTPMP), polyamino polyether methylenephosphonate (PAPEMP) and combinations thereof; wherein the anionic linear alcohols and ethoxylates is selected from the group consisting of sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES), sodium lauryl ether phosphate (SLEP), sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and combinations thereof; wherein the Kraft pulp is treated with the composition prior to the 2-stage oxygen delignification process and wherein the initial kappa number of the Kraft pulp is lowered to a predetermined final kappa number, and wherein the final pulp viscosity remains higher when compared with an untreated oxygen delignified.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the anionic polyacrylate is a poly-alpha-hydroxyacrylate (PHAS).

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the Kraft pulp has a kappa number of at least about 23.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1, illustrates a preferred lignin removal/kappa reduction is toward the left, and a preferred higher viscosity protection is toward the top.

(2) FIG. 2, shows kappa numbers under poor mixing conditions of various surfactants and no surfactant.

(3) FIG. 3, shows pulp viscosities of treated and untreated pulps at various kappa numbers.

(4) FIG. 4, shows pulp viscosities of treated and untreated pulps at various kappa numbers.

(5) FIG. 5, shows final kappa numbers of treated and untreated pulps.

(6) FIG. 6, shows final pulp viscosity of treated and untreated pulps.

(7) FIG. 7, shows final pulp kappa numbers of treated pulps under various reaction conditions.

(8) FIG. 8, shows final pulp viscosity of treated pulps under various reaction conditions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(9) The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding background of the invention or the following detailed description.

(10) In one aspect the current method relates producing a high yield Kraft pulp comprising: providing a Kraft pulp having a kappa number of at least about 30 and can be at least about 23 and may be at least about 20 for hardwood pulp or kappa numbers of at least about 40 and can be at least about 33 and may be at least about 30 for softwood pulps; treating the Kraft pulp with a composition comprising: a) an organic amine phosphonate; b) a magnesium salt; and c) one or more sulfonated ethoxylates; wherein the Kraft pulp is treated with the composition prior to an oxygen delignification process. In particular, the one or more sulfonated ethoxylate is sodium lauryl ether sulfonate (SLES), sodium lauryl ether phosphate (SLEP), or sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). See Formula I-III below.

(11) ##STR00001##

(12) In another aspect, the organic amine phosphonate of the composition is selected from diethylenetriamine pentamethylene phosphonic acid (DTPMP), aminotrismethylene phosphonate (ATMP), (bis)hexamethylenetriamine pentamethylene phosphonic acid (BHMTPMP), and polyamino polyether methylenephosphonate (PAPEMP) and the magnesium divalent cation Mg.sup.2+is from a magnesium salt such as magnesium sulfate, or magnesium sulfate heptahydrate. See Formula's IV-VII below.

(13) ##STR00002##

(14) In yet another aspect, the oxygen delignification process is a 1 or 2-stage oxygen delignification process, wherein method of producing a high yield oxygen delignified Kraft pulp comprising: providing a Kraft pulp having a kappa number of at least about 30 and can be at least about 23 and may be at least about 20 for hardwood pulps, or kappa numbers of at least about 40, can be at least about 33, and may be at least about 30 for softwood pulps; treating the Kraft pulp with a composition comprising: a) an organic amine phosphonate in an amount of from about 0.6 kg/MT to about 1.2 kg/MT on active acid basis; b) magnesium salt in an amount of from about 0.1 kg/MT to about 3.2 kg/MT anhydrous basis; and c) a surfactant in an amount of from about 0.08 kg/MT to about 0.16 kg/MT on an active basis of selected from the group consisting of sulfonated linear alcohol ethoxylates; and wherein the Kraft pulp is treated with the composition prior to an oxygen delignification process.

(15) In another aspect, the current method relates to producing a high yield Kraft pulp by providing a Kraft pulp having a kappa number of at least about 30 and can be at least about 23 and may be at least about 20 for hardwood pulps, or kappa numbers of at least about 40, can be at least about 33, and may be at least about 30 for softwood pulps. The provided pulp is treated with a composition comprising: a) an organic amine phosphonate (DTMP); and b); a polyacrylate polymer, such as poly-alpha-hydroxyacrylate (PHAS) (see below); and wherein the Kraft pulp is treated with the composition prior to an oxygen delignification process.

(16) ##STR00003##

(17) In another aspect, the method of producing a high yield oxygen delignified Kraft pulp relates to providing a Kraft pulp having a kappa number of at least about 30 and can be at least about 23 and may be at least about 20 for hardwood pulps, or kappa numbers of at least about 40, can be at least about 33, and may be at least about 30 for softwood pulps; and treating the Kraft pulp with a composition comprising: a) an organic amine phosphonate in an amount of from about 0.17 kg/MT to about 0.57 kg/MT on active acid basis; and b) from about 0.43 kg/MT to about 1.43 kg/MT on an active basis of an poly-alpha-hydroxyacrylate (PHAS); and wherein the Kraft pulp is treated with the composition prior to an oxygen delignification process.

(18) In yet other aspect, the method can include adding an optional magnesium to the Kraft pulp prior to, simultaneously with, or subsequent to adding the organic amine phosphonate/polyacrylate composition.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

(19) Brownstock pulp treated with magnesium sulfate (MgSO.sub.4) in the oxygen delignification stage results in a final pulp with a higher lignin content (as measured by kappa number as determined by TAPPI T236 om-13) than untreated pulp. This also occurs to a lesser extent with diethylenetriamine pentamethylene phosphonate salt (DTPMP) in the reaction, and to intermediate extents when the two are used together at varying ratios. Unexpectedly, the addition of a specific type of surfactant to the combined chelants in a formulated product results in a lower kappa number. Of particular importance are the anionic linear alcohols and ethoxylates in the form of sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) and sodium lauryl ether phosphate (SLEP).

(20) High lignin eucalyptus Kraft pulp (hereinafter identified by their kappa number, i.e. kappa 23) was delignified in a 2-stage process under “aggressive” conditions as shown in Table 1. The product was formulated with alternative surfactants and all were used in the delignification reaction at the same dosage on pulp.

(21) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 O2 Starting % Temperature, Pressure, Time, Conditions kappa NaOH (° C.) (psi) (minutes) Stage I 23 3.3 95 90 20 Stage II no 103 95 60 additional

(22) The oxygen delignification enhancement product was formulated without surfactant (B), without the phosphonated chelant (C), and without both (A). Alternative products were formulated (Table 3) with various surfactant types (D-J) as described in Table 2 below.

(23) TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Surfactant A none B none C Sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) D Sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) E Sodium lauryl ether phosphate (SLEP) F Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) G Sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) H C.sub.12-C.sub.16 ethoxylated alcohol (3 ethylene oxide) I C.sub.12-C.sub.16 ethoxylated alcohol (22 ethylene oxide) J Silicone polyether (SPE)

(24) The product formulations and the resulting pulp kappa number and viscosity measurements after the oxygen delignification reaction are found in Table 3.

(25) TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Final MgSO.sub.4, DTPMP, Surfactant, Kappa kg/MT kg/MT kg/MT Number Viscosity Blank 0 0 0 10.0 23.0 A 5 0 0 12.2 31.1 B 3.2 1.2 0 12.2 32.0 C 3.2 0 0.16 11.0 25.5 D 3.2 1.2 0.16 11.4 30.4 E 3.2 1.2 0.16 11.8 30.9 F 3.2 1.2 0.16 11.7 28.9 G 3.2 1.2 0.16 11.8 28.5 H 3.2 1.2 0.16 11.5 26.8 I 3.2 1.2 0.16 11.6 27.5 J 3.2 1.2 0.16 11.8 27.2

(26) The results indicate that the addition of the SLES surfactant to the formulation allows a lower kappa number to be reached while maintaining a high viscosity. FIG. 1, illustrates a preferred lignin removal/kappa reduction is toward the left, and a preferred higher viscosity protection is toward the top. FIG. 1, shows that “Formulation D” containing the sodium lauryl ether sulfate surfactant gave the highest viscosity and lowest kappa number. The other ethoxylated anionic surfactant sodium lauryl ether phosphate (E) and the non-ethoxylated anionic sodium lauryl sulfate (F) provided a smaller improvement. The other surfactants did not provide this unexpected benefit.

Example 2

(27) The final kappa number of the resulting pulp after the oxygen delignification stage is of paramount importance to the pulp maker. The cost of bleaching the pulp to the final target brightness is contingent on this incoming kappa number to the bleach plant. Inclusion of the surfactant improves performance of the oxygen delignification stage and decreases the cost of treatment through the entire bleaching line by lowering the kappa number. The amount of the specific preferred surfactant type (anionic linear ethoxylated alcohol) can be adjusted to affect the delignification while still protecting the pulp viscosity.

(28) High lignin (kappa 23) eucalyptus Kraft pulp was delignified “aggressively” by 52% in 1-stage oxygen treatments at 103 degrees Celsius (° C.), 4% alkali, 90 pounds-per-square inch (psi) O.sub.2 pressure for 60 minutes. The delignification enhancement product was formulated with the same levels of MgSO.sub.4 and DTPMP, but containing varying levels of sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) surfactant as defined in the Table 4 and dosed at the same level in all experiments.

(29) Results shown in the last two columns indicate that increasing the surfactant dosage decreases the kappa number. The pulp viscosity (given in centipoise (cP) throughout the application) remains relatively un-affected at the lower doses (<0.03% on OD pulp) of surfactant.

(30) TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Final Final MgSO.sub.4, % on DTPMP, % on SLES, % on Kappa Viscosity, OD Pulp OD Pulp OD Pulp Number cP 0.5 0.15 0 12.0 23.5 0.5 0.15 0.01 11.6 23.4 0.5 0.15 0.02 11.3 23.5 0.5 0.15 0.03 11.1 22.8 0.5 0.15 0.04 10.7 20.9 0.5 0.15 0.05 10.9 19.1

Example 3

(31) The efficiency of oxygen delignification is dependent on the availability of O.sub.2 to react with the fiber. This requires O.sub.2 to diffuse from the gaseous phase into the water surrounding the fibers in the slurry, then from the aqueous phase into the fiber to react with lignin. Only a small fraction of the oxygen is dissolved in solution at any given time. The vast majority is in the gaseous phase in the form of small bubbles infused into the slurry by very aggressive mixing with O.sub.2 in a medium consistency pump before delivery to the reactor tower. Poor mixing of oxygen with the pulp slurry will result in channeling of O.sub.2 out of the mixture, and insufficient O.sub.2 available to diffuse into solution for delignification when it is needed.

(32) The oxygen delignification enhancement product is formulated with a surfactant that improves delignification, as indicated in Examples 1 and 2. This surfactant also enhances delignification in poorly mixed systems.

(33) A eucalyptus Kraft pulp (kappa 20), was delignified with oxygen under “aggressive” conditions in one stage at 90° C., 4% NaOH on pulp, for 60 minutes at 90 psi. The surfactants were dosed at 0.5 kg/MT actives. A poorly mixed system was simulated by turning off the mixer at a fixed time interval for all experiments. The final kappa number of the “well mixed” reaction was 10 (50% delignification) as shown in the right column in Table 5. The effect of a “poorly mixed” system was an increase in kappa number to 15.1. The addition of various surfactants to the pulp slurry in a “poorly mixed” system is also shown in Table 5.

(34) TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Mixing Final Kappa Sample condition Surfactant Number A Well mixed None 10.0 B Poorly mixed None 15.1 C Poorly mixed Sodium lauryl ether sulfate 14.0 (SLES) D Poorly mixed Sodium lauryl ether phosphate 14.5 (SLEP) E Poorly mixed Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) 15.7 F Poorly mixed Sodium dodecyl benzene 15.8 sulfonate (SDBS) G Poorly mixed C12-C16 ethoxylated alcohol 15.1 (3 EO) H Poorly mixed C12-C16 ethoxylated alcohol 14.7 (22 EO) I Poorly mixed Silicone polyether (SPE) 15.3

(35) The addition of SLES (see sample C) to the slurry resulted in enhanced delignification of the slurry, as indicated by a larger decrease in kappa number under poor mixing conditions compared with other surfactants and to no surfactant (See FIG. 2).

Example 4

(36) An important benefit of the oxygen delignification enhancement product is that higher kappa number pulp can be used, and that this pulp can be produced with higher yield than conventional lower kappa number pulp. The higher kappa number pulp must be delignified more aggressively to reach the same target kappa number where conventional pulp enters the bleach plant. More “aggressive” oxygen delignification requires higher alkali concentration to be used, higher temperature, longer retention times, or various combinations of these.

(37) Higher lignin (kappa 23) eucalyptus Kraft pulp was delignified to a final kappa of 10 in 1-stage oxygen delignification reactions under two different sets of aggressive conditions of alkali and temperature. These conditions and the conditions of a “conventional” reaction are defined in Table 6.

(38) TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Starting Kappa % NaOH on Temperature, Conditions Number OD Pulp □ C. Aggressive alkali 23 5.1 103 Aggressive 23 3.8 110 temperature Conventional 16 2.2 103

(39) The oxygen delignification enhancement product consisted of the components and amounts defined in Table 7.

(40) TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 MgSO.sub.4, % on DTPMP, % on SLES, % on OD Pulp OD Pulp OD Pulp 0.40 0.15 0.016

(41) The product enhanced delignification by protecting the pulp viscosity from degradation under all scenarios compared with no treatment, or treatment with magnesium sulfate. The data in Table 8, summarize the effect on high kappa 23 pulp, and compares it to the effect of a conventional oxygen delignification stage on a low kappa 16 pulp.

(42) TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 8 Final Pulp Viscosity, cP No 10 kg/MT 5.5 kg/MT Conditions treatment MgSO.sub.4 Product Aggressive alkali 12.4 12.6 17.7 Aggressive temp 12.5 15.3 18.1 Conventional 27.5 30.5 32.3

(43) Oxygen delignification is used almost exclusively on chemical pulps that will be further bleached to high brightness. The additional bleaching stages offer further opportunities for the pulp viscosity to be degraded, so the viscosity gains made using the oxygen delignification enhancement product must not be lost in bleaching. This was demonstrated by using the same pulps from Example 4, to which a D.sub.HTE.sub.PD.sub.1 bleaching sequence was performed giving a pulp of 85 TAPPI brightness, wherein D.sub.HT is a hot 90° C. chlorine dioxide delignification stage; E.sub.P is a peroxide reinforced extraction stage; and D.sub.1 is a chlorine dioxide brightening stage.

(44) The results shown in Table 9, indicate that the use of the enhanced delignification formulation in the previous oxygen delignification stage resulted in higher strength fibers reported as breaking length (as determined from TAPPI T 231 cm-07 Zero-span breaking strength of pulp), which carried all the way through the described bleaching sequence.

(45) TABLE-US-00009 TABLE 9 Bleached Zero-Span Fiber Tensile Breaking Length, km No 10 kg/MT 5.5 kg/MT Conditions treatment MgSO.sub.4 Product Aggressive alkali 11.0 11.9 12.7 Aggressive temp 10.5 11.5 12.2 Conventional 12.7 13.2 13.4

Example 5

(46) The oxygen delignification reaction can be made more selective if conducted in two stages, and many pulp mills operate such systems to benefit from this. In general, the pulp viscosity is degraded more if the pulp is treated in 1-stage as compared with treatment in a 2-stage system when delignified to the same final kappa. The 2-stage system may allow the pulp to be first treated at higher pH, higher oxygen pressure and lower temperature for a shorter time period, after which it may be treated in a second stage at lower pressure, lower pH, and higher temperature for a longer time. This favors the kinetics of lignin removal over that of pulp viscosity degradation.

(47) Higher lignin (kappa 23) eucalyptus Kraft pulp was delignified to a kappa of 10 in a 1-stage and a 2-stage oxygen delignification process under aggressive conditions. This was compared with the mild single stage oxygen delignification of conventional eucalyptus Kraft pulp with lower starting kappa 16. The conditions are defined in Table 10.

(48) TABLE-US-00010 TABLE 10 Starting O.sub.2 Kappa % Temperature, Pressure, Time, Conditions Number NaOH □ C. psi min Conventional 16 1.85 103 90 60 Aggressive 23 4 103 90 60 1-Stage Aggressive 23 2-Stage: Stage I 4 88 90 25 Stage II no 103 45 60 additional

(49) The oxygen delignification enhancement product as defined in Example 4, was applied at the same dosage 5.5 kg/MT pulp in all treatments. The experimental data in Table 11 indicates that the product protects the pulp viscosity in delignification using higher alkalinity over 2-stages superior to the protection offered in a 1-stage reaction. This process change from 1-stage to 2-stages does not replace the benefit provided by the oxygen delignification enhancement product, but instead there was a synergy in which both increased delignification and viscosity.

(50) TABLE-US-00011 TABLE 11 Pulp Viscosity, cP No 10 kg/MT 5.5 kg/MT Conditions treatment MgSO.sub.4 Product Conventional 27.5 30 36 Aggressive 1-Stage 14.2 15.5 20.9 Aggressive 2-Stage 15.3 16.4 21.5

Example 6

(51) Several aminophosphonate chelants can be used in the formulation to provide benefits that enhance the oxygen delignification reaction by protecting pulp viscosity. The chelants described in Table 12, were formulated and applied as a pH neutral solution in which the phosphonate groups are typically substituted with sodium cations. They were measured and added into the formulation in the amount equivalent to the weight as active acid (see Table 12).

(52) TABLE-US-00012 TABLE 12 Acronym Compound A DTPMP 1* Diethylenetriamine pentamethylene phosphonate B DTPMP 2 Diethylenetriamine pentamethylene phosphonate C DTPMP 3 Diethylenetriamine pentamethylene phosphonate D DTPMP 4 Diethylenetriamine pentamethylene phosphonate E PIPPA Polyisopropenylphosphonate F PAPEMP Polyamino polyether methylene phosphonate G BHMPTMP (Bis)hexamethylenetriamine pentamethylene phosphonate H HEDP 1-Hydroxyethylidene-1, 1-Diphosphonate (Etidronate) I ATMP Aminotrismethylene phosphonate *Phosphonates A-D are different commercial grades of DTPMP available from Zschimmer & Schwarz, Milledgeville, GA marketed under the trade name CUBLEN ™.

(53) Higher lignin eucalyptus Kraft pulp (kappa 21), was delignified to a kappa of 9 in a 1-stage oxygen delignification under aggressive alkali conditions. This was for comparison with the mild alkali single stage oxygen delignification of lower starting kappa number pulp (K16) conventional eucalyptus Kraft pulp to a final kappa number of 10. The conditions are shown in Table 13.

(54) TABLE-US-00013 TABLE 13 Starting O.sub.2 Kappa % Temperature, Pressure, Time, Conditions Number NaOH □ C. psi min Conventional mild 16 1.85 103 90 60 Aggressive 1-Stage 21 4 103 90 60

(55) The oxygen delignification enhancement product was formulated and applied to pulp experiments according to Table 14.

(56) TABLE-US-00014 TABLE 14 Final Final MgSO.sub.4, Phosphonate, SLES, Kappa Viscosity Phosphonate kg/MT kg/MT kg/MT Number cP Blank 0 0 0 8.6 14.6 No Phosphonate 3.2 0 0.16 8.6 16.7 Formulation A 3.2 1.2 0.16 8.8 19.9 Formulation B 3.2 1.2 0.16 8.6 19.7 Formulation C 3.2 1.2 0.16 9.4 21.8 Formulation D 3.2 1.2 0.16 9.0 20.3 Formulation E 3.2 1.2 0.16 8.6 17.6 Formulation F 3.2 1.2 0.16 8.6 17.6 Formulation G 3.2 1.2 0.16 8.7 18.3 Formulation H 3.2 1.2 0.16 9.2 20.0 Formulation I 3.2 1.2 0.16 8.8 16.9

(57) The conventional pulp reached a final kappa of 10, with a viscosity of 27.5 cP. The aggressively delignified kappa 21 pulp reached a lower final kappa of 8.6-9.4 (average 9.0), varying with phosphonate type as shown in Table 14. The highest delignification selectivity was provided by DTPMP “Formulations A-D”, with “Formulation B” having a 35% increase at equivalent kappa to the blank. The graphical representation in FIG. 3, indicates the improved viscosity (upward on the y-axis) at the desired lower kappa number (leftward on the x-axis). The phosphonated chelants PIPPA (Formulation E), PAPEMP (Formulation F), BHMPTMP (Formulation G), HEDP (Formulation H) and ATMP (Formulation I) also increased viscosity to varying degrees greater than the formulation without the phosphonate (See FIG. 3).

Example 7

(58) There is a need for an oxygen delignification enhancement product that allows the reduction of lignin content (kappa number) while protecting the pulp strength (viscosity). Formulations that contain phosphonate chelants and magnesium salts may be improved upon in both respects. Polymeric compounds may be added to the formulation to enhance the performance of the chelant. Examples of typical polymers applied in this way can include polyacrylates and co-polymers of acrylic and maleic acid, such as, Solenis LLC products Infinity® SL4393/Polystabil® 922, Infinity® SL4335, and Infinity® SL4342/Aquatreat® AR410.

(59) ##STR00004##

(60) The protection of pulp viscosity by a phosphonate chelant such as diethylenetriamine pentamethylene phosphonate (DTPMP) can be augmented by the addition of these polymers. The anionic charged groups may also directly interact (bind) with transition metal ions to some extent. This interaction may be enhanced by various functional groups on the polymer backbone, specifically hydroxyl groups attached to the alpha-carbon in the polyhydroxyacrylic acid polymer (PHAS) shown below. An unexpected synergistic enhancement of pulp viscosity protection by DTPMP is seen with formulations containing PHAS, greater than that seen with other polyacrylate polymers

(61) ##STR00005##

(62) Because of pulp processing concerns, there is a need for oxygen delignification enhancement formulations that can reduce or eliminate non-process elements (NPIs) such as inorganic mineral salts like magnesium. These salts are recirculated in the recovery cycle due to the fact that they are not removed by combustion and increase in concentration over time. Increasing NPIs can contribute to a decrease in pulping efficiency, interfere with some process chemicals, complicate pulping chemical regeneration cycles, and contribute to equipment scaling problems. Formulations containing magnesium sulfate also require large dosages to be effective, typically 5-10 kg Epsom salt/metric ton of pulp. This is a logistical challenge, as modern mega-mills can produce over 5,000 MT of pulp per day, requiring perhaps 50 metric tons of Epsom salt per day. Through extensive studies, it was found that a composition comprising an organic amine phosphonate and a polymeric PHAS allows the complete removal of magnesium salts. The polymeric formulation also allows for the delignification reaction to reach lower kappa number than when using MgSO.sub.4 containing formulations under similar conditions.

(63) A high kappa eucalyptus Kraft pulp (K20) was delignified by greater than 50% in an aggressive 1-stage oxygen delignification process using the conditions found in Table 15.

(64) TABLE-US-00015 TABLE 15 Starting Kappa NaOH % on Temp, O.sub.2, Time, Conditions Number OD Pulp □ C. psi minutes Aggressive 1-Stage 20 4 103 90 60

(65) The dosage of phosphonate was 2.5 kg/MT based on pulp and the polymer dosage was 2.5 kg/MT as listed in Table 16. The polymer was used in place of any MgSO.sub.4. These formulations were compared with a formulation containing a typical mill dosage of magnesium sulfate, and also with no treatment additive as shown in Table 16.

(66) TABLE-US-00016 TABLE 16 Component A B C D E Blank Diethylenetriamine 2.5* 2.5 2.5 2.5 0 0 pentamethylene phosphonate (DTPMP) Poly-alpha-hydroxy 0 2.5 0 0 0 0 acrylate salt (PHAS) Acrylate-maleate 0 0 2.5 0 0 0 copolymer (AA/MA) Acrylate polymer (AA) 0 0 0 2.5 0 0 Magnesium sulfate 0 0 0 0 4 0 *kg/MT pulp in formulation

(67) The resulting pulp kappa number and viscosity can be seen in Table 17.

(68) TABLE-US-00017 TABLE 17 Formulation Final Kappa Final Viscosity A 9.9 23.1 B 8.9 21.3 C 9.5 22.7 D 9.2 20.6 E 9.4 18.9 Blank 8.5 15.1

(69) Treatment with only DTPMP showed some cellulose protection but does not allow the lower kappa number to be reached, while addition of the polymers allowed a lower kappa (lignin content) to be achieved while still protecting the cellulose to a varying extent as seen in FIG. 4. Formulation D and Formulation C allowed a reduced kappa number compared with treatment with only DTPMP (Formulation A), but the enhanced performance was most pronounced for the poly-alpha-hydroxy acrylate salt (PHAS) polymer (Formulation B), which gave a beneficial higher viscosity (upward on the y-axis) as kappa number was reduced (leftward on the x-axis) (See FIG. 4).

Example 8

(70) There is a need for improved environmental performance of pulp mills by reducing the amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen containing chemicals used in pulping and bleaching operations.

(71) The eucalyptus pulp used in Example 7, kappa (K20), was delignified with oxygen under slightly milder conditions as seen in Table 18, afford approximately 50% delignification.

(72) TABLE-US-00018 TABLE 18 Starting NaOH % on Temp, O.sub.2, Time, Conditions Kappa OD Pulp □ C. psi min Aggressive 1-Stage 20 3.75 103 90 60

(73) The dosage of phosphonate was reduced to 1.5 kg/MT from the previous 2.5 kg/MT (Example 7), a 40% decrease. The polymer dosage was maintained at 2.5 kg/MT. The combinations of DTPMP and polymers were compared with treatment with DTPMP only (A), and treatment with DTPMP combined with magnesium sulfate (E) as shown in Table 19.

(74) TABLE-US-00019 TABLE 19 Component A B C D E Blank Diethylenetriamine 1.5* 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 0 pentamethylene phosphonate (DTPMP) Poly-alpha-hydroxy acrylate 0 2.5 0 0 0 0 (PHAS) Acrylate-maleate copolymer 0 0 2.5 0 0 0 (AA/MA) Acrylate polymer (AA) 0 0 0 2.5 0 0 Magnesium sulfate 0 0 0 0 4 0 *kg/MT pulp in formulation

(75) With the lower phosphonate dosage, the polymers provided a synergistic protection of the cellulose when the same approximate kappa was obtained. The PHAS polymer (Formulation B) provided the greatest delignification enhancement as shown in Table 20.

(76) TABLE-US-00020 TABLE 20 Final Kappa Final Viscosity Formulation Number (cP) A 9.9 20.0 B 9.7 23.8 C 9.7 22.6 D 9.3 20.4 E 9.7 20.7 Blank 9.0 15.4

Example 9

(77) The previous example demonstrated that there is an unexpected benefit from the combination of phosphonate chelant and acrylate polymers for the enhancement of oxygen delignification and pulp viscosity protection. These results from above were investigated further with the PHAS polymer (poly-alpha-hydroxyacrylate salt) under a milder delignification regime. Kappa K20 eucalyptus pulp was delignified in 1-stage using oxygen under the following conditions:

(78) TABLE-US-00021 TABLE 21 Starting NaOH % on Temp, O.sub.2, Time, Conditions Kappa OD Pulp □ C. psi min Aggressive 1-Stage 20 3.75 103 90 60

(79) The pulp viscosity was measured in response to decreased DTPMP dosage while the PHAS component of the formulation was held constant. This was compared with treatments with DTPMP only, PHAS only, magnesium sulfate only, as well as an untreated sample. The formulations for these experiments are shown in Table 22.

(80) TABLE-US-00022 TABLE 22 Component A B C D E F Blank Diethylenetriamine 1.5* 1.0 0.5 0 1.5 0 0 pentamethylene phosphonate (DTPMP) Poly-alpha-hydroxy acrylate 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 0 0 0 (PHAS) Magnesium sulfate 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 *kg/MT pulp in formulation

(81) The results are shown in Table 23.

(82) TABLE-US-00023 TABLE 23 Final Kappa Final Viscosity Formulation Number (cP) A 10 25.5 B 9.3 24.9 C 9.8 23.8 D 9.5 19.5 E 9.9 20.6 F 9.7 20.7 Blank 9 15.4

(83) The results indicate that the dosage of the phosphonate could be reduced another 150% when using 0.5 kg/MT with 2.5 kg/MT of the PHAS (Formulation C) while still affording sufficient cellulose protection. The use of PHAS also allowed the complete elimination of the magnesium sulfate component in the formulations.

(84) The lower dosage of phosphonate allowed by the synergistic effect of the PHAS polymer was also tested under more aggressive conditions as shown in Table 24. Higher kappa eucalyptus Kraft pulp K23 was delignified by 57% in 1-stage oxygen delignification using the conditions.

(85) TABLE-US-00024 TABLE 24 Starting Kappa NaOH % on Temp O.sub.2 Time, Conditions Number OD Pulp (□ C.) (psi) (minutes) Aggressive 1-Stage 23 4.0 103 90 60

(86) The results in Table 25 indicate there is a synergistic affect when the Formulation contains PHAS with a DTPMP chelant in the enhancement of delignification under aggressive alkali and temperature conditions.

(87) TABLE-US-00025 TABLE 25 Final Kappa Final Viscosity Formulation Number (cP) A 11.2 23.4 B 10.9 22.2 C 9.8 21.5 D 9.2 19 E 9.9 18.6 F 9.4 18.9 Blank 9.3 14.2

Example 10

(88) The previous example demonstrated that the combination of phosphonate chelant plus acrylate-based polymers including poly-alpha-hydroxyacrylate salt (PHAS) is robust enough to offer cellulose protection in aggressive oxygen delignification reactions at low phosphonate levels, even in the absence of magnesium sulfate MgSO.sub.4. This enhancement was investigated further in an aggressive 2-stage oxygen delignification reaction.

(89) High kappa number eucalyptus Kraft pulp (K23) was aggressively delignified with oxygen in a 2-stage process under the following conditions.

(90) TABLE-US-00026 TABLE 27 Starting % Temp, O.sub.2, Time, Conditions Kappa NaOH □ C. psi min Stage I 23 3.75 88 90 25 Stage II no 103 45 60 additional

(91) The additive components were formulated together using a combination of DTPMP chelant and PHAS polymer (ratio 3:5) according to Table 28.

(92) TABLE-US-00027 TABLE 28 Component A B C D E F G Blank Diethylene- 1.5* 1.0 0.5 0 1.5 0 1.5 0 triamine pentamethylene phosphonate (DTPMP) Poly-alpha- 2.5 1.67 0.83 2.5 0 0 0 0 hydroxy acrylate PHAS) Magnesium 0 0 0 0 0 5 4 0 sulfate Total combined 4.00 2.67 1.33 2.50 1.50 5.00 5.50 0.00 *kg/MT pulp in formulation

(93) The combined product offered the same synergistic protection of pulp viscosity in the 2-stage reaction as in the 1-stage reaction by not allowing the lowering of viscosity. There was also demonstrated a clear dose-response as shown in Table 29. The lowest level of the combined product (Formulation C) was 1.33 kg/MT pulp, and afforded a 48% higher viscosity 21.3 cP compared with no treatment at 14.4 cP.

(94) TABLE-US-00028 TABLE 29 Final Kappa Final Viscosity, Formulation Number (cP) A 10.0 25.2 B 10.2 24.9 C 10.0 21.3 D 10.2 20.0 E 10.3 21.7 F 9.8 19.0 G 10.5 20.9 Blank 9.2 14.4

(95) The same delignification enhancement was observed when an even higher kappa number (K25) pulp was used under slightly more aggressive or harsher conditions in a 2-stage oxygen delignification process shown in Table 30.

(96) TABLE-US-00029 TABLE 30 Starting % Temp O.sub.2 Time Conditions Kappa NaOH (□ C.) (psi) (min) Stage I 25 4.00 88 90 25 Stage II no 103 45 60 additional

(97) The additive components were formulated together using a combination of DTPMP chelant and PHAS polymer (ratio 3:5) similar to the last example, and according to Table 31.

(98) TABLE-US-00030 TABLE 31 Component A B C D E F Blank Diethylenetriamine 1.5* 0.73 0.60 0.48 0 0 0 pentamethylene phosphonate (DTPMP) Poly-alpha-hydroxy 2.5 1.21 1.01 0.81 2.5 0 0 acrylate (PHAS) Magnesium sulfate 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 Total combined 4.00 1.94 1.61 1.29 2.50 5.00 0.00 *kg/MT pulp in formulation

(99) The results indicate a similar dose-response (Table 32) for the combination of the components on increased viscosity for pulp having a starting kappa number of 25 (K25), as compared with the lower kappa number (K23) starting pulp.

(100) TABLE-US-00031 TABLE 32 Final Kappa Final Viscosity Formulation Number (cP) A 11.9 22.0 B 11.5 21.4 C 11.1 21.2 D 11.2 20.9 E 10.2 20.1 F 9.8 15.7 Blank 9.9 13.9

Example 11

(101) The combination of phosphonate chelant plus acrylate-based polymers including polyhydroxyacrylate salt (PHAS) is also beneficial for aggressive 2-stage oxygen delignification performed with higher temperatures and shorter retention times. Higher kappa eucalyptus pulp (K23) was treated in a shortened more aggressive 2-stage oxygen delignification at higher temperatures as described in Table 33. The first stage was shortened to only 5 minutes, while the final stage was 60 minutes, 50 minutes, or 40 minutes long.

(102) TABLE-US-00032 TABLE 33 Starting Kappa % Temp O.sub.2 Time Conditions Number NaOH (□ C.) (psi) (minutes) Stage I 23 3.30 95 100 5 Stage II no 106 90 60, 50, 40 additional

(103) The combination of DTPMP and PHAS in the ratio of 3:5 was dosed at different levels (Formulation B and C). This was compared with untreated samples, samples treated with magnesium sulfate (Formulation A), and samples with magnesium sulfate and DTPMP (Formulation D) as shown in Table 34.

(104) TABLE-US-00033 TABLE 34 Component Blank A B C D Diethylenetriamine 0 0 0.37 0.32 1.5 pentamethylene phosphonate (DTPMP) Poly-alpha-hydroxy acrylate 0 0 0.92 0.704 0 (PHAS) Magnesium sulfate 0 5 0 0 4 Total combined, kg/MT 0.00 5.00 1.29 1.03 5.50

(105) The results from all experiments are shown in Table 35. The table headings 5 plus 60, 5 plus 50, and 5 plus 40 indicate reaction times of 5 min in the first stage and 60, 50, or 40 minutes in the second stage.

(106) TABLE-US-00034 TABLE 35 Results showing Final Kappa and Viscosity Numbers Sample 5 plus 60 5 plus 50 5 plus 40 Final Kappa Number Blank 10 10.5 11.2 Formula A 10.3 10.9 11.5 Formula B 10 10.5 11.4 Formula C 10 10.5 11.2 Formula D 10.5 10.7 11.6 Final Pulp Viscosity (cP) Blank 15.2 15.4 15.9 Formula A 19 20.3 21.2 Formula B 18.3 19.6 21.8 Formula C 18.3 18.8 20.6 Formula D 20.4 20.5 22.4

(107) The resulting kappa numbers from these aggressive treatments are shown graphically in FIG. 5, which shows there is a clear trend for the shorter retention times to impede delignification to some extent (higher kappa numbers), but not equally among all treatments. Results indicate that the current formulations when used under industrially relevant constraints can significantly reduce the retention time needed to reduce the kappa number of the pulp.

(108) The results shown in FIG. 5, indicated that when the time for the delignification reaction is shortened substantially, the final kappa attained is higher for pulp treated with magnesium sulfate MgSO.sub.4 relative to untreated pulp. However, treatment with the 2-component formulation, i.e. DTPMP and PHAS, affords pulp with the same final kappa as untreated pulp, but with a higher viscosity as shown in FIG. 6. These results indicate that effective delignification can be realized with good viscosity protection even under reduced retention times.

(109) The DTPMP and PHAS formulation also offers the added benefit of a large reduction in the dosage of product required for pulp viscosity protection (approximately 4 times lower) versus magnesium sulfate containing formulations. The 2-component formulation protects the pulp viscosity up to 27% higher than no treatment.

Example 12

(110) There are many combinations of temperatures and retention times in 2-stage oxygen delignification that may be beneficial to the pulp mill. Higher temperatures and shorter retention times generally can be used to increase the production rate, but the combination can reduce both delignification efficiency and pulp viscosity. The addition of phosphonate chelant plus acrylate-based polymers including poly-alpha-hydroxyacrylate salt (PHAS) are beneficial for aggressive 2-stage oxygen delignification performed with higher temperatures and shorter retention times as was shown in Example 11. There are numerous combinations of temperatures and retention times in a 2-stage delignification process, in addition to alkali usage levels used, to reach the lowest kappa number while minimizing viscosity loss. Several of these combinations were used in experiments as shown in Table 36.

(111) TABLE-US-00035 TABLE 36 Delignification Conditions 1 2 3 4 Time in 2-stages, 10 plus 20 plus 20 plus 20 plus minutes 50 70 70 70 Temperatures, 95 plus 88 plus 92 plus 102 plus C. ° 100 103 103 105 NaOH, % on 3.3 3.6 3.4 2.6 OD Pulp

(112) The delignification conditions 1-4 described in Table 36, above were each used with different chemical treatments labeled as Formulations A-D, as shown in Table 37.

(113) TABLE-US-00036 TABLE 37 Component Blank A B C D Diethylenetriamine 0 0 0.32 0.48 1.18 pentamethylene phosphonate (DTPMP) Poly-alpha-hydroxyacrylate 0 0 0.704 0.81 0 (PHAS) Magnesium sulfate 0 5 0 0 3.15 Total combined, kg/MT 0.00 5.00 1.03 1.29 4.33

(114) The final kappa number results are shown in Table 38.

(115) TABLE-US-00037 TABLE 38 Final Pulp Kappa Number Delignification Conditions 1 2 3 4 Blank 10.9 9.8 9.5 10.6 A 10.6 9.9 9.7 10.8 B 10.8 10.3 10.0 10.7 C 11.0 10.2 10.0 10.8 D 11.0 10.8 10.9 11.4

(116) The different delignification conditions had varying effects on the reaction efficiency, as shown in FIG. 7. The kappa number was higher when the reaction was limited by time (Condition 1) or alkali level (Condition 4). Combining higher temperatures with lower alkali levels allowed more extensive delignification (Condition 3 vs Condition 2). FIG. 7, shows that chemical treatments affected delignification differently within any particular set of reaction conditions. For example, “Formulation B” and “Formulation C” were better at enhancing delignification under conditions of hotter stage temperatures, longer retention times, and lower alkali addition rates.

(117) The final pulp viscosity is shown in Table 39.

(118) TABLE-US-00038 TABLE 39 Final Pulp Viscosity, cP Delignification Conditions 1 2 3 4 Blank 18.0 15.1 15.9 19.1 A 20.5 18.0 19.0 23.0 B 20.8 18.5 19.5 23.6 C 21.2 18.7 19.8 26.6 D 22.2 20.7 21.3 25.5

(119) The pulp viscosity was improved by the use of the various additives as shown graphically in FIG. 8. The different treatments responded in similar ways under the different conditions, and improved viscosity level over the blank can be attributed both to the additive chemistry and dosage levels. Depending on the delignification conditions, a specific type of treatment may provide a valuable benefit over others. For example, treatment “Formulation B” was sufficient to protect viscosity by an average of 22% over the blank at just 1 kg/MT treatment dosage and contains 0% magnesium sulfate (see FIG. 8). Additionally, treatment “Formulation B” and “Formulation C” afforded the best delignification and viscosity protection under conditions of hotter stage temperatures, longer retention times, and lower alkali addition rates.

(120) While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment, it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims and their legal equivalents.