Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

Biopulping International Inc.

United States of America, As Represented by the Secretary of Agriculture

T Kent Kirk

Masood Akhtar

Gary Michael Scott

Eric G Horn

Michael J Lentz

Ross E Swaney

Carl J Houtman

Michael C Attridge

Cory C Black

John W Koning, Jr

The present invention is a method for producing pulp from fibrous lignocellulose material using a treatment step which exposes the material to oxalic acid, or oxalic acid and sodium bisulfite, prior to pulping. The pulping of the resulting product requires less energy input and provides a pulp having enhanced physical properties as compared to untreated materials.

Method for producing pulp

A method of making a wood pulp is disclosed. Wood is first chipped into wood chips. The wood chips are treated with an amount of sulfite salt sufficient to inhibit indigenous microorganism growth. The treated wood chips are introduced into a bioreactor and inoculated with a culture of white-rot fungus. The wood chips are incubated under conditions favoring the propagation of white-rot fungus and then mechanically pulped.

Method of pulping wood chips with a fungi using sulfite salt-treated

Growing community of inventors

Verona, WI, United States of America

T Kent Kirk