Impact of dissolved lignin in oxygen delignification and chlorine dioxide stages

While carryover of dissolved lignin between stages in the pulp mill fiber line is a well-known problem, it is still typically seen only as a minor disturbance factor or bias in the control of oxygen (O-2) delignification and bleaching stages. The present study, however, reveals that it plays a larger role than anticipated, and that it should be properly analyzed in order to correctly control the process stages. This is especially important for the O-2 and D-0 stages as the lignin content is still high in these positions. The results of the study show that dissolved lignin carried over between stages may have a significant impact on the bleaching chemical consumption and, indirectly, on the pulp quality. Mill investigations have shown very large variations in the dissolved lignin content in the pulp before the oxygen delignification stage and before the D-0 stage that have significantly influenced the bleaching chemical demand and, subsequently, the degree of delignification. In order to develop a better understanding of the mechanisms of the dissolved lignin's reactions, laboratory O-2 and D-0 experiments with controlled levels of dissolved lignin were conducted. It was anticipated that a better feedforward control could be achieved using an online dissolved lignin measurement, and results from mill trials are presented. Chlorine dioxide laboratory experiments using different levels of carryover (i.e., different dissolved lignin contents) were conducted. It was concluded that the filtrate kappa number provides a relevant measure of the bleach demand due to the dissolved lignin and that, subsequently, the combined fiber and filtrate kappa number provides an appropriate measure for optimum feedforward control of the stages. Mill results support these findings, which show that the chemical consumption is reduced significantly using the total kappa number. The post-D or post-DE kappa number feedback control can most probably be eliminated by using this technology.