Profiles of alkali concentration for changing process parameters in kraft impregnation of spruce chips

Abstract One of the primary and most critical operations in the kraft pulping process is the impregnation of heterogeneous material, specifically wood or wood chips. This process is influenced not only by the physical properties of the material itself (e.g., dry matter content, density) but also by...

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Main Authors: Michaela Peciarová, Peter Peciar, Martin Juriga, Štefan Gužela, Marian Peciar, Roman Fekete
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2025-08-01
Series:Journal of Wood Science
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s10086-025-02221-0
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author Michaela Peciarová
Peter Peciar
Martin Juriga
Štefan Gužela
Marian Peciar
Roman Fekete
author_facet Michaela Peciarová
Peter Peciar
Martin Juriga
Štefan Gužela
Marian Peciar
Roman Fekete
author_sort Michaela Peciarová
collection DOAJ
description Abstract One of the primary and most critical operations in the kraft pulping process is the impregnation of heterogeneous material, specifically wood or wood chips. This process is influenced not only by the physical properties of the material itself (e.g., dry matter content, density) but also by parameters such as temperature, pressure, cycle duration, and the concentration of the impregnating medium. Ensuring uniform packing of the chips in the digester and optimizing the combination of these process parameters facilitates a homogeneous distribution of the impregnation fluid throughout the wood structure. This study examines the alkaline profiles resulting from specific combinations of these parameters. To identify the optimal conditions, we employed spruce chips with consistent dry matter content and dimensions across all experiments. The experiments were conducted using a reactor specifically designed for impregnation purposes. Results revealed the rate of decline in the concentration of effective alkalis in the impregnation solution, with samples taken at 5-min intervals over a 30-min impregnation period. Findings indicate that temperature significantly impacts the reduction of effective alkali concentration in the impregnation solution. This effect is directly related to the dynamic viscosity of the fluid; as temperature increases, dynamic viscosity decreases, thus reducing resistance to penetration.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1611-4663
language English
publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher SpringerOpen
record_format Article
series Journal of Wood Science
spelling doaj-art-e58a44b6cf2d487b9d38b6979c6d82782025-08-20T03:45:48ZengSpringerOpenJournal of Wood Science1611-46632025-08-0171111410.1186/s10086-025-02221-0Profiles of alkali concentration for changing process parameters in kraft impregnation of spruce chipsMichaela Peciarová0Peter Peciar1Martin Juriga2Štefan Gužela3Marian Peciar4Roman Fekete5Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Slovak University of Technology in BratislavaFaculty of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Slovak University of Technology in BratislavaFaculty of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Slovak University of Technology in BratislavaFaculty of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Slovak University of Technology in BratislavaFaculty of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Slovak University of Technology in BratislavaFaculty of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Slovak University of Technology in BratislavaAbstract One of the primary and most critical operations in the kraft pulping process is the impregnation of heterogeneous material, specifically wood or wood chips. This process is influenced not only by the physical properties of the material itself (e.g., dry matter content, density) but also by parameters such as temperature, pressure, cycle duration, and the concentration of the impregnating medium. Ensuring uniform packing of the chips in the digester and optimizing the combination of these process parameters facilitates a homogeneous distribution of the impregnation fluid throughout the wood structure. This study examines the alkaline profiles resulting from specific combinations of these parameters. To identify the optimal conditions, we employed spruce chips with consistent dry matter content and dimensions across all experiments. The experiments were conducted using a reactor specifically designed for impregnation purposes. Results revealed the rate of decline in the concentration of effective alkalis in the impregnation solution, with samples taken at 5-min intervals over a 30-min impregnation period. Findings indicate that temperature significantly impacts the reduction of effective alkali concentration in the impregnation solution. This effect is directly related to the dynamic viscosity of the fluid; as temperature increases, dynamic viscosity decreases, thus reducing resistance to penetration.https://doi.org/10.1186/s10086-025-02221-0
spellingShingle Michaela Peciarová
Peter Peciar
Martin Juriga
Štefan Gužela
Marian Peciar
Roman Fekete
Profiles of alkali concentration for changing process parameters in kraft impregnation of spruce chips
Journal of Wood Science
title Profiles of alkali concentration for changing process parameters in kraft impregnation of spruce chips
title_full Profiles of alkali concentration for changing process parameters in kraft impregnation of spruce chips
title_fullStr Profiles of alkali concentration for changing process parameters in kraft impregnation of spruce chips
title_full_unstemmed Profiles of alkali concentration for changing process parameters in kraft impregnation of spruce chips
title_short Profiles of alkali concentration for changing process parameters in kraft impregnation of spruce chips
title_sort profiles of alkali concentration for changing process parameters in kraft impregnation of spruce chips
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s10086-025-02221-0
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AT stefanguzela profilesofalkaliconcentrationforchangingprocessparametersinkraftimpregnationofsprucechips
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