Evaluation of alkaline deconstruction processes for Brazilian new generation of eucalypt clones

Abstract

Eucalypt wood has become one of the main raw materials for pulp production, mainly in South America. Through this study, 19 eucalypt clones were analyzed regarding their forestry production, and chemical characteristics. After this analysis, among the 19 clones, 5 were chosen to be analyzed concerning their potential for pulp production, including one commercial clone which was used as a reference clone of high quality and performance for pulp production. Two pulping processes were used to convert eucalypt clones into pulps, namely, Soda-AQ and kraft processes. The main findings of this paper were: (1) high technological quality of Eucalyptus clones evaluated, and that they can be used for pulp production since most of the clones had performance similar to clone IP; and (2) the Soda-AQ process seems to be a potentially replace the kraft for a high degree of wood delignification.