Homogeneity in High-Kappa Kraft Pulping (HH-KK)
The purpose of this research project HH-KK is enable research collaboration between Mid Sweden University (MIUN),Mälardalen University (MDU), BillerudKorsnäs and Mondi. The research focus will be to gain a better understanding of the lignin chemistry related to high-kappa kraft cooking process byimplementing Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIR) as the primary analytical technology.
Funding: 4.0 million SEK
Start
2022-08-01
Planned completion
2025-07-31
Main financing
Collaboration partners
Research area
Research group
Project manager at MDU
Background
This research effort has a strong connection to the Research Profile NeoPulp in the research environment for TransformativeTechnologies at MIUN. Moreover, it strengthens the research environment by initiating research in chemical pulp technology that is currently not included in the Research Profile NeoPulp.
From an industrial perspective, this new area of research better supports the use of process equipment in the manufacture of chemical pulps. It is important for the industry that MIUN and MDU can develop new ways to study these processes and attract promising students to solve problems related to pulp manufacturing. Both industrial parties expect that the research project will lead to a rewarding collaboration with mutual benefit.
Project aim
Our objective in this project is to find out how raw material-related as well as chemical and physical phenomena in pulping influence fiber properties, pulp quality and process efficiency.
In order to achieve these, we also need to develop novel analytical methods based on NIR to present also chemical properties of fibers, preferably as distributions instead of average values.
Finally, we shall search correlations between these measured raw material and pulp properties with desired product properties. The latter includes in-plane and out-of-plane dimensional changes of the fiber products.
External project members:
Erik Hedenström, Professor Mittuniversitetet (MIUN)
Juha Fiskari, Professor, Mittuniversitetet (MIUN)