Untreated and hot water-treated birch (Betula pendula) sawdust were cooked by the oxygen-alkali method under the same cooking conditions (temperature = 170°C, liquor-to-wood ratio = 5 L/kg, and 19% sodium hydroxide charge on the ovendry sawdust). The pretreatment of feedstock clearly facilitated delignification. After a cooking time of 90 min, the kappa numbers were 47.6 for the untreated birch and 10.3 for the hot water-treated birch. Additionally, the amounts of hydroxy acids in black liquors based on the pretreated sawdust were higher (19.5-22.5g/L) than those in the untreated sawdust black liquors (14.8-15.5 g/L). In contrast, in the former case, the amounts of acetic acid were lower in the pretreated sawdust (13.3-14.8 g/L vs. 16.9-19.1 g/L) because the partial hydrolysis of the
acetyl groups in xylan already took place during the hot water extraction of feedstock. The sulfur-free fractions in the pretreatment hydrolysates (mainly carbohydrates and acetic acid) and in black liquors (mainly lignin and aliphatic carboxylic acids) were considered as attractive novel byproducts of chemical pulping.
Stability and Activity of Zn/MCM-41 Materials in Toluene Alkylation: Microwave Irradiation vs Continuous Flow