journal article·2026-06-24

Evaluation of mixtures of pine and eucalypt wood for the production of bleached kraft pulp

Bruno de Freitas Homem de Faria, Fernando José Borges Gomes, Rubens Chaves de Oliveira, Diego Pierre de Almeida, Paula Santana Barbosa, Thayanne Caroline Castor Neto

Publisher page

Abstract

Abstract Blending wood species can combine complementary fiber attributes in a single pulp. This study evaluated kraft pulping of Pinus sp . and Eucalyptus sp. chip mixtures and the bleachability of the resulting pulp. Pulping was performed to reach Kappa 20 ± 1 using eucalypt/pine blends at 90/10, 80/20, 70/30, and 60/40 (oven-dry mass). A 100 % eucalyptus pulp served as the Reference. All pulps were bleached with an ECF sequence. As pine proportion increased, the H-factor rose from 481 (Reference) to 1,170 at 40 % pine. Brown pulp viscosity showed a decreasing trend with increasing long fiber content. Bleaching reacted in such a way that pulps with higher long fiber content and lower bleachability required higher active chlorine loads. Overall, kraft pulping of these mixtures proved technically feasible. However, these operational trade-offs should be weighed against potential property gains from longer fibers, so that chip-mix strategies can be tuned to balance product performance with pulping and bleaching.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Lignin and Wood Chemistry · Advanced Cellulose Research Studies · Wood Treatment and Properties

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

President Antonio Carlos Foundation , Ponte Nova , Minas Gerais , 35430-225 , Brazil

Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro , Seropédica , Rio de Janeiro , 23890-000 , Brazil

Federal University of Viçosa , Viçosa , Minas Gerais , 36570-900 , Brazil

State University of Mato Grosso do Sul , Aquidauana , Mato Grosso do Sul , 79200-000 , Brazil

Federal University of Espírito Santo , Jerônimo Monteiro , Espírito Santo, 29550-000 , Brazil

References (54)

Show source-provided references
1. ABNT – Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas (2003). NBR 11941: Madeira – determinação da densidade básica da madeira. ABNT, Rio de Janeiro.
2. Amazonas, N.T., Forrester, D.I., Silva, C.C., Almeida, D.R.A., Rodrigues, R.R., and Brancalion, P.H.S. (2018). High diversity mixed plantations of eucalyptus and native trees: an interface between production and restoration for the tropics. For. Ecol. Manag. 417: 247–256, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2018.03.015.10.1016/j.foreco.2018.03.015 ↗
3. Apiolaza, L.A. (2012). Basic density of radiata pine in New Zealand: genetic and environmental factors. Tree Genet. Genomes 8: 87–96, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-011-0423-1.10.1007/s11295-011-0423-1 ↗
4. Bajpai, P. (2012). Environmentally benign approaches for pulp bleaching, 2nd ed. Elsevier, Amsterdam.
5. Bajpai, P. (2018). Chapter 1 – refining and pulp characterization. In: Bajpai, P. (Ed.). Biermann’s handbook of Pulp and paper. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 1–34.10.1016/B978-0-12-814238-7.00001-5 ↗
6. Balberčák, J., Kuňa, V., Boháček, Š., Celulózy, V.Ú.P.A., and Ihnát, V. (2022). Reduction of softwood long-fibre pulp addition in tissue production: case study. Wood Res. 67: 447–459.10.37763/wr.1336-4561/67.3.447459 ↗
7. Barrichelo, L.E.G., Kageyama, P.Y., Speltz, R.M., Bonish, H.J., Brito, J.O. and Ferreira, M. (1977). Estudos de procedências de Pinus taeda visando seu aproveitamento industrial. Ipef 15: 1–14.
8. Bassa, A.G.M.C., Silva Junior, F.G. and Sacon, V.M. (2007). Misturas de madeira de Eucalyptus grandis × Eucalyptus urophylla e Pinus taeda para produção de celulose kraft através do processo Lo-Solids®. Sci. Forestalis 75: 19–29.
9. Brannvall, E. and Lindström, M.E. (2007). The hemicellulose composition of pulp fibers and their ability to endure mechanical treatment. Tappi J. 6: 19–24, https://doi.org/10.32964/tj6.10.19.10.32964/TJ6.10.19 ↗
10. Carrillo, I., Aguayo, M.G., Valenzuela, S., Mendonça, R.T., and Elissetche, J.P. (2015). Variations in wood anatomy and fiber biometry of Eucalyptus globulus genotypes with different wood density. Wood Res. 60: 1–10.
11. Chakar, F.S., Allison, L., Ragauskas, A.J., McDonough, T.J., and Sezgi, U. (2000). Influence of hexenuronic acids on U.S. bleaching operations. Tappi J. 83: 1–62.
12. Colodette, J.L., Gomide, J.L., Girard, R., Jääskeläinen, A.-S., and Argyropoulos, D.S. (2002). Influence of pulping conditions on eucalyptus kraft pulp yield, quality and bleachability. Tappi J. 1: 14–20.
13. Colodette, J.L., Gomide, J.L., Salles, D.V.C., and Brito, A.S.C.H. (1996). Factors affecting bleachability with oxygen-derived chemicals. In: International non-chlorine bleaching conference. TAPPI, Orlando, pp. 1–20.
14. Costa, M.M. and Colodette, J.L. (2002). The effect of kraft pulp composition on its bleachability. In: TAPPI international pulp bleaching conference. TAPPI, Portland, pp. 195–213.
15. Danielsson, S. and Lindström, M. (2005). Influence of birch xylan adsorption during kraft cooking on softwood pulp strength. Nord. Pulp Pap. Res. J. 20: 436–441, https://doi.org/10.3183/npprj-2005-20-04-p436-441.10.3183/npprj-2005-20-04-p436-441 ↗
16. Demuner, I.F., Colodette, J.L., Gomes, F.J.B., and de Oliveira, R.C. (2020). Study of LCNF and CNF from pine and eucalyptus pulps. Nord. Pulp Pap. Res. J. 35: 670–684, https://doi.org/10.1515/npprj-2019-0075.10.1515/npprj-2019-0075 ↗
17. Fearon, O., Nykänen, V., Kuitunen, S., Ruuttunen, K., Alén, R., Alopaeus, V., and Vuorinen, T. (2020). Detailed modeling of the kraft pulping chemistry: carbohydrate reactions. AIChE J. 66: e16252, https://doi.org/10.1002/aic.16252.10.1002/aic.16252 ↗
18. Ferraz, A., Baeza, J., Rodriguez, J., and Freer, J. (2000). Estimating the chemical composition of biodegraded pine and eucalyptus wood by DRIFT spectroscopy and multivariate analysis. Bioresour. Technol. 74: 201–212, https://doi.org/10.1016/s0960-8524(00)00024-9.10.1016/S0960-8524(00)00024-9 ↗
19. Gellerstedt, G. and Lindfors, E.-L. (1987). Hydrophilic groups in lignin after oxygen bleaching. Tappi J. 70: 119–122.
20. Gomes, F.J.B. (2013). Estudos de caracterização e desconstrução de biomassas de eucalipto e capim-elefante para aplicações em biorrefinarias integradas à indústria de celulose, Ph.D. thesis. Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG.
21. Grace, T.M. and Tran, H. (2009). The effect of dead-load chemicals in the kraft pulping and recovery system. Tappi J. 8: 18–24, https://doi.org/10.32964/tj8.7.18.10.32964/TJ8.7.18 ↗
22. Gulsoy, S.K. and Tufek, S. (2013). Effect of chip mixing ratio of Pinus pinaster and Populus tremula on kraft pulp and paper properties. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 52: 2304–2308, https://doi.org/10.1021/ie302709e.10.1021/ie302709e ↗
23. Gustavsson, C. and Al-Dajani, W. (2000). The influence of cooking conditions on the degradation of hexenuronic acid, xylan, glucomannan and cellulose during kraft pulping of softwood. Nord. Pulp Pap. Res. J. 15: 160–167, https://doi.org/10.3183/npprj-2000-15-02-p160-167.10.3183/npprj-2000-15-02-p160-167 ↗
24. Hannah, B.C. and Swann, D.A. (1981). Kraft co-cooking of hardwoods and softwoods. Appita 34: 383–386.
25. He, Z., Ni, Y., and Zhou, Y. (2010). Presence of hardwood chips and its impact on pulp strength properties in the production of bleached softwood kraft pulp. BioResources 5: 2625–2639, https://doi.org/10.15376/biores.5.4.2625-2639.10.15376/biores.5.4.2625-2639 ↗
26. IBÁ – Instituto Brasileiro de Árvores. (2025). Relatório IBÁ 2025. Indústria Brasileira de Árvores, São Paulo.
27. Jardim, J.M., Hart, P.W., Lucia, L.A., Jameel, H., and Chang, H.M. (2022). The effect of the Kraft pulping process, wood species, and pH on lignin recovery from black liquor. Fibers 10: 1–16, https://doi.org/10.3390/fib10020016.10.3390/fib10020016 ↗
28. Kerekes, R.J. and Schell, C.J. (1995). Effects of fiber length and coarseness on pulp flocculation. Tappi J. 78: 133–139.
29. Khan, A.A., de Jong, W., Jansens, P.J., and Spliethoff, H. (2009). Biomass combustion in fluidized bed boilers: potential problems and remedies. Fuel Process. Technol. 90: 21–50, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuproc.2008.07.012.10.1016/j.fuproc.2008.07.012 ↗
30. Kleppe, P.J. (1970). Kraft pulping. Tappi J. 53: 35–47.
31. Kraft, P. (1967). Alkaline pulping. In: McDonald, R.G. (Ed.). Pulp & paper manufacture, 2nd ed., Vol. 1. McGraw-Hill, New York, pp. 628–725.
32. Li, J. and Gellerstedt, G. (1997). The contribution to kappa number from hexeneuronic acid groups in pulp xylan. Carbohydr. Res. 302: 213–218, https://doi.org/10.1016/s0008-6215(97)00125-0.10.1016/S0008-6215(97)00125-0 ↗
33. Maddern, K.N., Brumby, P.M., and Mulcahy, J.P. (1984). Alkaline pulping of hardwood and hardwood–softwood mixtures. Appita 37: 723–728.
34. Matos, J.M.S., Evtuguin, D.V., Sousa, A.P.M., and Carvalho, M.G.V.S. (2023). Effect of xylanase-assisted treatment of oxygen-delignified eucalypt kraft pulp on ECF bleaching. Forests 14: 396, https://doi.org/10.3390/f14020396.10.3390/f14020396 ↗
35. Mendes, L.M., da Silva, J.R.M., Trugilho, P.F., and Lima, J.T. (2015). Longitudinal variation on wood density of Pinus oocarpa. Cerne 5: 105–111.
36. Mogollón, G., Hortal, J.A.G., and León, W. (2008). Capítulo I – materias primas fibrosas. In: Area, M.C. (Ed.). Panorama de la industria de celulosa y papel en Iberoamérica. Riadicyp, Misiones, pp. 1–46.
37. Mozdyniewicz, D.J., Nieminen, K., and Sixta, H. (2013). Alkaline steeping of dissolving pulp. Part I: cellulose degradation kinetics. Cellulose 20: 1437–1451, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-013-9926-2.10.1007/s10570-013-9926-2 ↗
38. Neiva, D., Fernandes, L., Araújo, S., Lourenço, A., Gominho, J., Simões, R., and Pereira, H. (2015). Chemical composition and kraft pulping potential of 12 eucalypt species. Ind. Crops Prod. 66: 89–95, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2014.12.016.10.1016/j.indcrop.2014.12.016 ↗
39. Nurmesniemi, H., Pöykiö, R., Perämäki, P., and Kuokkanen, T. (2005). The use of a sequential leaching procedure for heavy-metal fractionation in green liquor dregs from a causticizing process at a pulp mill. Chemosphere 61: 1475–1484, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2005.04.114.10.1016/j.chemosphere.2005.04.114 ↗
40. Oliveira, R.C., Foelkel, C.R.B. and Gomide, J.L. (1981). Misturas de madeiras de Pinus strobus var. chiapensis e Eucalyptus urophylla na polpação kraft. O Papel. 42: 67–78.
41. Obernberger, I., Brunner, T., and Bärnthaler, G. (2006). Chemical properties of solid biofuels: significance and impact. Biomass Bioenergy 30: 973–982.10.1016/j.biombioe.2006.06.011 ↗
42. Pettersson, E.A.K., Ragnar, M., and Lindström, M.E. (2002). Kraft cooking characteristics and hexenuronic acid concentration of pulps from eucalypt and other hardwood species. Nord. Pulp Pap. Res. J. 17: 222–227, https://doi.org/10.3183/npprj-2002-17-03-p222-227.10.3183/npprj-2002-17-03-p222-227 ↗
43. Pydimalla, M., Kamma, R., and Mamidala, A. (2022). A review on morphological, chemical and structural properties of wood and non-wood fiber species. La Pensée 51: 229–239.
44. Rydholm, S.A. (1965). Pulping processes. Interscience Publishers, New York.
45. Rockwood, D.L., Rudie, A.W., Ralph, S.A., Zhu, J., and Winandy, J.E. (2008). Energy product options for Eucalyptus species grown as short-rotation woody crops. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 9: 1361–1378, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms9081361.10.3390/ijms9081361 ↗
46. Seth, R.S. and Chan, B.K. (1999). Measuring fiber strength of papermaking pulps. Tappi J. 82: 115–120.
47. Sharma, N., Bhardwaj, N.K., and Singh, R.B.P. (2020). Environmental issues of pulp bleaching and prospects of peracetic acid pulp bleaching: a review. J. Clean. Prod. 256: 120338, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120338.10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120338 ↗
48. Sjöström, E. (1993). Wood chemistry: fundamentals and applications, 2nd ed. Academic Press, New York.
49. Stankovská, M., Fišerová, M., Gigac, J., and Opálená, E. (2020). Blending impact of hardwood pulps with softwood pulp on tissue paper properties. Wood Res. 65: 447–458.10.37763/wr.1336-4561/65.3.447458 ↗
50. Ventorim, G., Caraschi, J.C., Colodette, J.L. and Gomide, J.L. (2009). A influência dos ácidos hexenurônicos no rendimento e na branqueabilidade da polpa kraft. Quím. Nova 32: 373–377, https://doi.org/10.1590/s0100-40422009000200019.10.1590/S0100-40422009000200019 ↗
51. Vuorinen, T., Fagerström, P., Buchert, J., Tenkanen, M., and Teleman, A. (1999). Selective hydrolysis of hexenuronic acid groups and its application in ECF and TCF bleaching of kraft pulps. J. Pulp Pap. Sci. 25: 155–162.
52. Wallberg, O., Jönsson, A.-S., and Wimmerstedt, R. (2003). Fractionation and concentration of kraft black liquor lignin with ultrafiltration. Desalination 154: 187–199, https://doi.org/10.1016/s0011-9164(03)80019-x.10.1016/S0011-9164(03)80019-X ↗
53. Wang, H., de Vries Frits, P., and Jin, Y. (2009). A win–win technique of stabilizing sand dune and purifying paper-mill black liquor. J. Environ. Sci. 21: 488–493, https://doi.org/10.1016/s1001-0742(08)62296-2.10.1016/S1001-0742(08)62296-2 ↗
54. Wang, T.P., Li, H., Yuan, J.M., Li, W.X., Li, K., Huang, Y.B., Xiao, L.P., and Lu, Q. (2021). Structures and pyrolytic characteristics of organosolv lignins from typical softwood, hardwood and herbaceous biomass. Ind. Crops Prod. 171: 113912, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2021.113912.10.1016/j.indcrop.2021.113912 ↗