Removal of silicon from green liquor with carbon dioxide in the chemical recovery process of wheat straw soda pulping

Green liquor in the chemical recovery process of wheat straw pulping was treated with carbon dioxide to precipitate silicon by a one-step process and a seeding process to address problems caused by high silicon content. The total silicon removal, the particle size, and the sedimentation performance of silica were investigated. The results showed that the pH of green liquor decreased with increasing amounts of carbon dioxide, becoming stable after the pH decreased to 8.2. Reaction temperature had no significant effect on the removal of silicon. About 99% of silicon removal was achieved at a pH of 9.2 at room temperature. In the one-step process, the particle size increased and the silica sedimentation performance improved with decreasing pH. The particle size decreased and the sedimentation performance improved with increasing reaction temperature. At a pH of 9.5 and reaction temperature of 80°C, the particle size was 10.43 μm. In the seeding process, 40% green liquor was treated with carbon dioxide at 80°C until the pH was about 10.5, then the 40% treated green liquor was mixed with the remaining 60% of green liquor. The mixture was then treated with carbon dioxide at a reaction temperature of 80°C until the pH reached 9.5. In that situation, the particle size reached 14.11 μm. Compared with the one-step process, the particle size of silica generated by the seeding process was bigger and the sedimentation performance was improved.