Process aspects for sulfite pulping

Sulfite pulping of wood, with the aim of producing a paper product, can be carried out under acidic, neutral or alkaline conditions. However, if a dissolving pulp is required to be achieved, only acidic conditions may be employed. The main reason for this specific requirement for dissolving pulps is the high level of cellulose purity required. The hemicellulose content should therefore be low and hemicellulose molecules are best removed at low pH. Another difference is that in paper pulps it is the fibre properties that are of a dominant interest, while in a dissolving pulp the cellulose properties are of significant interest. However, one similarity for both paper and dissolving sulfite pulps is the risk of uncontrolled sidereactions, which can lead to severe lignin condensation reactions, and in extreme cases even to a totally black pulp. Thus, sulfite pulping is a relatively complex chemical process and an overview of the most important parameters is thus presented.