The ester pulping process developed by Biodync Chemicals promises to produce pulp from wood chips in higher yield at less costs and pollution than conventional kraft, sulfite, and mechanical commercial pulp systems. It envisions only wood chips entering the mill, and has the potential to be energy self-sufficient. Most of the experimental work to date has centered on the pulping of aspen chips because of the State of Wisconsin's interest in this wood source. However, most of the pulp produced in the U.S. has a pine wood source. The application of this new technology to pine has obvious economic significance. This work is intended to define better the potential for the ester pulping process to produce a commercially acceptable pulp from pine wood chips. Biodyne has been unable to find evidence that anyone has yet succeeded in doing this. However, based on our work with aspen and a limited amount of work on pine, Biodyne believes it can be done through the proper selection of operating conditions and the introduction of a catalyst.Applications:Successful solvent ester pulping of pine wood chips would open up the application of solvent pulping to the major wood source of pulp in the United States. The low-cost, low-pollution, no-external-raw-material advantages of ester solvent pulping could enhance the competitive position of U.S. pulp mills vs. foreign competition, and lower the minimum size for economically viable plants.
