Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada

Eco-tec Limited

Rokhsareh Thompson

Michael Paleologou

Richard M Berry

Craig J Brown

Michael A Sheedy

James Theodore Wearing

A process using an amphoteric ion-exchange resin, also known as a 'snake-cage polyelectrolyte' resin separates kraft white liquor into sulphide-rich and caustic-rich components. The sulphide-rich component can be used in the initial stage of pulping, pretreatment of wood chips prior to pulping, or it can be used to make polysulphide-rich liquor. The caustic-rich component can be used in the final delignification phase, in place of sodium hydroxide or white liquor in oxygen delignification, pH adjustment and flue gas scrubbing. The same system can be used to separate green and polysulphide liquors into sulphide-rich and sulphide-poor components, and to remove sulphide from other mill caustic streams contaminated with sulphide.

Process for the separation of sulphides from pulping liquors using

Sodium chloride is removed from pulping chemicals used in a Kraft pulping process by the use of a snake-cage polyelectrolyte ion exchange resin, coupled with removal of sulfide prior to treatment, or treatment of chemicals which are already low in sulfide. In one aspect of the invention, dust is collected from exhaust gases produced in the black liquor recovery cycle and is dissolved in water to produce a solution containing sodium chloride and sodium sulfate. The solution is filtered to yield a solid product and a filtrate solution. The filtrate solution is fed to an ion exchange unit which removes chloride and produces a purified sodium sulfate product. The sodium chloride is removed from the ion exchange resin by water elution, and useful recovered chemicals are recycled to the recovery cycle of the Kraft process. In one embodiment, only a portion of the dust is dissolved so that the solid product produced by filtering is primarily sodium sulfate, and that sodium sulfate is recycled to the recovery cycle of the Kraft process. In another aspect of the invention, white liquor from the pulping process is treated directly after oxidizing sulfide to sulfate. After removal of sodium chloride in the ion exchange unit, the treated white liquor can be used as a source of sodium hydroxide for oxygen delignification, and the effluent from the oxygen delignification stage can be returned to the process.

Method and apparatus for removing sodium chloride from pulping chemicals

A process employing a fixed-resin bed Acid Retardation Unit (ARU) to separate spent acid from chlorine dioxide generators into a de-acidified sodium sulfate component and a purified sulfuric acid component. The de-acidified sodium sulfate produced is returned to the chemical recovery cycle of the kraft mill in place of acidic chlorine dioxide generator effluent thereby avoiding the destruction of alkalinity in pulp mill liquors. In addition, sulfuric acid is purified providing an opportunity for reuse in various mill applications, and/or concentrated and recycled to the generator. Alternatively, to avoid high evaporation costs, the purified acid can be used to regenerate a cation-exchange unit (CEU) used in the conversion of sodium chlorate to a sodium chlorate/chloric acid mixture which is fed to the generator in place of sodium chlorate and sulfuric acid. Using this approach, the sulfuric acid requirement of chlorine dioxide generators and, in turn, the amount of acidic generator effluent can be reduced. The process is applicable to both atmospheric and subatmospheric chlorine dioxide generators. In the latter case, the concentration of the purified sulfuric acid from the ARU or any other acid separation system can be increased by using a portion of it to dissolve the sodium sesquisulfate by-product from such generators.

Fixed-resin bed technologies for the treatment of the chlorine dioxide

A process for the recovery of alkali metal hydroxide and acid from the alkali metal salts of monovalent anions which are mixed with the alkali metal salts of multivalent anions employs a water-splitting system composed of bipolar membranes in conjunction with ion-selective membranes; a two-compartment cell employs monovalent anion-selective membranes to define salt/base and acid compartments with the bipolar membranes, and a three-compartment cell employs, monovalent anion-selective and cation-selective membranes to define with the bipolar membranes, acid, salt and base compartments; the process has particular applicability to the conversion of the sodium/potassium chloride portion of the Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP) Catch of the recovery boiler of coastal and/or closed-cycle kraft pulp mills, a mixture of mostly sodium/potassium sulphate and chloride, into sodium/potassium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid; the remaining sodium/potassium sulphate solution, depleted in chloride, can thus be used as sodium/sulphur make-up to the recovery cycle or converted to sulphuric acid and sodium/potassium hydroxide; a simpler version of the process, can be employed for the electrodialytic separation of ESP catch into its component sodium chloride and sodium sulphate; when a three-compartment water-splitting or electrodialysis system is used, potassium ions are preferentially removed from the feed compartment, over sodium, thus removing this undesirable non-process element from the alkali metal sulphate portion which is returned to the recovery cycle; there is also described approaches through which a partially or totally effluent free (TEF) kraft pulp mill can be achieved in terms of the elements sodium, sulphur and chlorine.

Electromembrane processes for the treatment of kraft mill electrostatic

A process using an electrodialysis system employing cation-selective membranes and anion-selective membranes, particularly monovalent anion-selective membranes is used to separate kraft pulping liquors into two streams; one that is rich in sulphides (to be used in the initial stage of pulping), and another that is poor in sulphides (to be used in the final stage of pulping). By separating pulping liquors in this way, the sulphur balance in the kraft process can be maintained while obtaining the benefits of modified pulping. The same electrodialytic system can be used to separate green and polysulphide liquors into sulphide-rich and sulphide-poor components.

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Pointe Claire, Canada

Rokhsareh Thompson