Study on the enzymatic pretreatment process of alkaline pulping of Wikstroemia monnula: Optimization by orthogonal design
摘要
To investigate the potential and feasibility of biochemical pulping of Wikstroemia monnula, enzymatic pretreatment was effectively combined with soda pulping. The efficiency of pretreatment, designed using an orthogonal method, was evaluated by comparing it to an unpretreated control group. The absorbances of three substances, reducing sugar, lignin, and pectin, which dissolved from the raw materials during enzymatic pretreatment process, were calculated and converted into membership function values to preliminary evaluation of the effect of enzymatic pretreatment. As expected, the pretreatment groups demonstrated a brightness increase of 50.1 to 73.2% in the handsheets compared to the unpretreated control group, attributed to the dissolution of lignin and other color-producing substances prior to soda pulping. The brightness of the pretreated groups ranged from 31.75% ISO to 36.64% ISO, while the control group exhibited a brightness of 21.15% ISO. Enzymatic pretreatment significantly reduced the amount of chemicals required for soda pulping by 50% and reduced processing time by 83.3%, with the pulping conditions for the pretreated groups set at 5% NaOH and 1.5 h. Moreover, improved physical strength was observed in certain groups, with tensile strength 4.6% higher and tearing strength 26.5% greater than that of the control group. This study thus presents a promising method for the biochemical pulping of Wikstroemia monnula and identifies several optimal conditions for enzymatic pretreatment.