Deacetylation of Eucalyptus globulus acetosolv pulps in aqueous media:: A kinetic study

Pulps obtained from Eucalyptus globulus wood in HCl-acetic acid-water (Acetosolv processing) were subjected to aqueous processing at a liquor-to-solid ratio of 8 kg/kg and 160-190 degreesC, in order to explore the suitability of this kind of treatment for pulp purification. Both deacetylation and hemicellulose removal were caused by the treatment, whereas cellulose was not significantly affected. The concentration profiles of reaction products (glucose, xylose and acetic acid) were determined, and the experimental data were modelled using pseudohomogeneous, first-order kinetics. The dependence of kinetic coefficients on temperature was established by means of Arrhenius-type equations.