Some causes of formation of colour during storage of hydrogen-peroxide bleached Norway spruce mechanical pulp

Abstract The discolouration of hydrogen-peroxide bleached Norway spruce mechanical pulp during storage in mill systems was studied and the contributions of process water, iron and dyes were evaluated over the visible spectrum. Washing of the pulp made it less sensitive to storage, possibly due to the removal of extractives, lignin-like substances, iron and pulp fines. Storage in white water gave extensive discolouration with a shoulder in the absorption spectrum at around 550- 650 nm. Most of the colour was associated with pulp fines or filler but some colour was also found in smaller fractions and in the water phase. The addition of ferric ions increased the light absorption coefficient during storage, initially at short wavelengths and then over the whole spectrum, but could not explain the increased absorption at 550-650 nm and could not be the only cause of the darkening in the mill system. A cationic basic violet dye gave a shoulder in the absorption spectrum similar to that in the mill system, but the absorption in this area did not increase during storage. Model calculations indicate that ferric ions together with violet and red dyes could explain a major part, but not all, of the colour observed in the mill system after storage. The darkening not accounted for at longer wavelengths and around 550-650 nm is suggested to be related to fines and fillers including dissolved and colloidal substances associated with these particles.