University of Maine System

International Paper Company

International Paper

Haixuan Zou

Gopal Goyal

Jianer Jiang

Sung-Hoon Yoon

Adriaan Reinhard Pieter Van Heiningen

A process of treating a lignocellulosic material includes a pre-extraction step in which hemicellulose is extracted from the lignocellulosic material. In one embodiment, the pre-extraction step involves contacting the lignocellulosic material with an aqueous solution under conditions that release acidic material from the lignocellulosic material into the aqueous solution, and the aqueous solution includes a basic material that at least partly neutralizes the acidic material so that the aqueous solution at the end of the pre-extraction step has a pH within a range of from 4.5 to 11. The process also includes a pulping step, after the pre-extraction step, in which the lignocellulosic material is separated into pulp. The process further includes an adsorption step, after the pulping step, in which hemicellulose is adsorbed on the pulp.

Process of treating a lignocellulosic material

Process of treating a lignocellulosic material with an alkali metal borate pre-extraction step

A process of treating a lignocellulosic material includes a pre-extraction step in which hemicellulose is extracted from the lignocellulosic material. Then, in a solvent pulping step, the lignocellulosic material is separated into pulp by contacting the lignocellulosic material with a cooking liquor comprising a solvent. In one embodiment, the solvent has a boiling point of at least about 150&#xb0; C. In another embodiment, the cooking liquor comprises a mixture of solvent and water.

Pre-extraction and solvent pulping of lignocellulosic material

Process of treating a lignocellulosic material with hemicellulose pre-extraction and hemicellulose adsorption

Growing community of inventors

Orono, ME, United States of America

Haixuan Zou