Improving pulp yield for integrated southern hardwood kraft mills—significance and impact on chemical recovery, steam and power generation, and bleaching

Researchers have been attempting to improve the yield of bleachable-grade kraft pulp for several decades. Wood is typically one of the major costs associated with kraft pulping. Therefore, it is typically assumed that improving pulp yield or conversely, reducing the amount of wood required to make a specific mass of pulp, is a cost-effective, lucrative endeavor. Although this may be true, it is important to understand the impact of increasing pulp yield on the interconnected processes within an integrated pulp and paper mill and to fully evaluate the cost implications on these processes. The current work employed several sets of laboratory pulping conditions and a WinGEMS model of a pulp mill, fully integrated with chemical recovery, power, and recausticization, and pulp drying islands to determine where the largest cost impact associated with improved pulp yield may be experienced.