The Wood Pulp Industry

Occupational health in the wood pulp and paper industry: a review with implications for Florida practitioners.

Enzymatic Bleaching of Wood Pulp

The dark colour of kraft pulp after the wood chips have been heated at high temperature with NaOH solution is caused by lignin (a complex phenolic polymer) still attached to the cellulose fibres. Traditionally this pulp is treated with chlorine to bleach the pulp to make it suitable for paper making. Unfortunately this leads to the formation of some potentially toxic chlorophenolic compounds of...

Noise control in the wood processing industry

In general, noise levels were in the 90-100 dB range, regarded as very noisy. Few workplaces in New Zealand have such consistently high levels. Although the problem might seem insoluble, simple solutions at each stage could be identified. At the source of the noise, new designs of both band and circular saws can reduce the noise by up to 6 dB (a quarter of the noise). During sawmilling operatio...

Simulating the Dynamics of Flexible Wood Pulp Fibres in Suspension

We investigate the dynamics of a flexible, elastic fibre, suspended in a fluid and subjected to a 3D shear flow. Simulations are performed using the “Immersed Boundary Method,” and are distinguished by their ability to capture the hydrodynamic interaction between the fluid and fibre, as well as the detailed structure of the individual fibres. Suspensions of flexible fibres are encountered in ma...

Integration of the Wood Products Industry