ENZYMATIC PITCH CONTROL OF SULFITE PULP ON PILOT SCALE

The application of enzymes to pulp and paper manufacture is a very promising branch of industrial biotechnology. By using lipases to hydrolyze triglycerides in the pulp resins, the formation of sticky components which may cause breakdown during production can be avoided. We have performed some pilot-scale experiments concerning the application of lipases to unbleached pulp. Twelve tons of pulp a day were treated with enzyme in a continuous process, the process conditions and enzyme concentrations were varied, and the resins were analyzed for triglycerides and free fatty acids. We found that 90% of the triglycerides were hydrolyzed within a very short time when using relatively low activities of enzyme.