Kinetics of oxygen delignification of hardwood kraft pulp

The effect of the process variables on the kinetics of oxygen delignification are studied. It is found that delignification is most precisely described by the topochemical kinetic equation of Prout-Tompkins in its modified form. The rate equation is derived and activation energy and the preexponential factor are determined. It is established the temperature-time dependence, which can be used for controlling the process of oxygen delignification. It is found that variation of the carbohydrate chain lengths obeys another kinetic mechanism and may be described by a pseudo-zero order equation.