Production of Dissolving Grade Pulps from Wood and Non-Wood Paper-Grade Pulps by Enzymatic and Chemical Pretreatments

A raw material with high cellulose content and low content of hemicelluloses, residual lignin, extractives and minerals is required for many important applications in the pharmaceutical, textile, food and paint industries i.e. cotton and dissolving grade pulp are used. However, the high costs for the production of dissolving grade pulps has triggered interest in upgrading paper-grade pulps into dissolving pulps by selective removal of hemicelluloses and subsequent activation of the pulps. This study reports the feasibility to produce dissolving grade pulps from different wood and non-wood paper-grade pulps employing enzymatic and chemical pre-treatments. The results were compared to those of commercial bleached dissolving pulps.