(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004-12-02)
Chandra, Yusup
The kraft pulping process has been known for decades. The focus in kraft pulping has always been on better operation of the chemical recovery system. One of the targets is on deadload (sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) and sodium carbonate (Na2CO3)) reduction in white liquor. A model based on several literature references was developed to study the effect of deadload reduction. A base model was developed based on current mill operation. This base model was compared to the deadload reduction model. Overall improvement, such as operating cost saving and revenue generation was achieved from deadload reduction. Operating cost saving involves less deadload chemical in chemical recovery system, and less water that was associated with the deadload itself. Revenue generation involves generating more steam and heat from the recovery boiler that can be used for mill purposes or energy revenue. Two important variables to achieve deadload reduction are causticizing efficiency and reduction efficiency.
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004-04-09)
Gershon, Daniel
The path of research in the pulp and paper industry is heading towards the elimination of the lime cycle, which requires large amounts of energy, and changing the conventional recovery boiler system to a gasification process that will reduce the possibility of smelt water explosions while meeting future environmental regulations. Research has been carried out on both gasification processes and on causticizing processes that can replace or complement the lime cycle, however very little research has gone into the actual kinetics of causticization using black liquor in gasification processes. This research project fills in some of the missing knowledge in the area of kinetics of autocausticization reactions, which entails the use of borates as the autocausticizing agent. A temperature dependent kinetic model coupled with a mass transfer coefficient has been developed and compared to experimental data.