Abstract
Pretreatment of wood chips with lignin-degrading fungi can improve the strength properties of unbleached refiner mechanical pulps. We studied the effect of two white-rot fungi (Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Dichomitus squalens) prior to refiner mechanical pulping. Strength and optical properties were compared in handsheets prepared from mechanical pulp of treated and untreated wood chips. Both fungal pretreatments resulted in handsheet strength properties better than the control when compared at an equivalent freeness. Fungal pretreatment decreased brightness and light-scattering coefficients but did not adversely affect opacity. Brightness of fungus-pretreated pulps was restored to that of the control by use of hydrogen peroxide bleaching. Lignin content of the chips was reduced by the fungal pretreatments.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 105-108 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Tappi journal |
| Volume | 71 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| State | Published - May 1 1988 |