The Effect of Aluminum on the Two-Stage Peroxide Bleaching of Eucalyptus Regnans Stone Groundwood Pulp

The addition of aluminum nitrate (up to 100 ppm A1 on pulp) to a two-stage, acidalkali, hydrogen peroxide bleach of Eucalyptus regnans stone groundwood pulp enhanced the brightness gain of the pulp, over a range of consistencies. It is proposed that the presence of aluminum ions modifies the catalytic behaviour of the transition metal ions present in the pulp, especially manganese, reducing peroxide consumption while increasing the brightness of the pulp. The two-stage process, under optimized conditions at low consistency, consumes considerably less peroxide while achieving a greater brightness increase than a singlestage alkaline peroxide bleach.