Studying the Effects of Refining Intensity on Fiber Properties of NSSC Pulp

This study evaluates the effects of refining intensity on fiber properties of Neutral Sulfite Semi- Chemical (NSSC) pulp, made from bagasse. Cooking process was implemented in the following conditions: cooking temperature 170°C, cooking time 30 minutes and cooking liquor 20%. The refining procedure used PFI mill with different revolution speeds of 2600, 3800, 4500 and 5500 rpm. Analysis of variance for fibers was conducted in a completely randomized design, followed by mean values comparison using Duncan's test. Obtained results revealed that there has been a significant difference at 95% level between pre-refining and post-refining values of fiber length and diameter, lumen diameter, fiber wall thickness. This study showed that increasing the rotation speed to 5500 rpm, will increase the fines content. Therefore, it was proposed to perform refining at lower revolution speeds. Finally, optimized refiner revolution speed of 3800 rpm was suggested with fiber properties and pulp freeness of 402 ml CSF.

Bagasse % Neutral sulfite semi-chemical (NSSC) pulp % Refining intensity