MICROWAVE-ASSISTED ALKALINE PEROXIDE MECHANICAL PULPING OF ASPEN

Excellent quality alkaline peroxide mechanical pulp of trembling aspen can be produced by means of a so-called ''micro-heat technique'' by w hich microwave energy is used only to raise the desired pulping temper ature and the chemical treatment is allowed to proceed in an insolated retention recervoir. Minimum of microwave energy is required. The tre ated chips are refined using a Sunds Defibrator pilot rafiner CD 300. The characteristics of the effluents are comparable to those of efflue nts of conventional high-yield pulping processes.