Kraft and soda-AQ pulping of dry fractionated reed canary grass

The effect of dry fractionation on pulping and pulp properties of reed canary grass was studied for two alkaline pulping processes. Multivariate data analysis was used to evaluate the influence of dry fractionation, alkali charge and cooking time on pulp yield, screening reject, drainage, fibre length distribution, kappa number and residual alkali in black liquor for kraft and soda-anthraquinone pulping of the grass. Of the factors included in the design, dry fractionation had the greatest influence on all the responses. Dry fractionation gave a pulp with higher yield, lower screening reject, lower kappa number, better drainage and reduced fines for both pulping processes. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.