Assessing wood pulp reactivity through its rheological behavior under dissolution

Abstract: Recent years have witnessed an increasing interest in man-made cellulosic fibers, whose production generally requires cellulose dissolution and regeneration. Cellulosic fibers are difficult to dissolve. Thus, the recalcitrance of wood pulp can be an estimate of its reactivity. Pulp reactivity is usually assessed via complex and time-consuming laboratory simulations of the viscose process. This study proposes a faster and more convenient approach. The dissolution-based torque reactivity (DTR) test measures the evolution of the rheological properties of a pulp suspension under dissolution in cupriethylenediamine. Reactivity is quantified in terms of initial dissolution rates (IDR) and dissolution times (DT). This study describes the measurement protocol for the DTR test and its application to some commercial pulps and a series of pulps hornified to different extents. The IDR and DT values were compared with other pulp features, including degree of polymerization, molecular weight distribution, specific surface area and water retention value. The DTR test proved to be reasonably precise and fast to carry out. Graphic abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].