METHOD OF DIGESTING LIGNOCELLULOSIC MATERIAL

摘要

A method of digesting lignocellulosic material includes the steps of providing the lignocellulosic material and a caustic composition having a pH of at least about 10. The caustic composition includes water, an alkaline- or alkaline earth- metal hydroxide, and up to about 1 percent by weight based on a total weight of the composition of a branched digestion additive. The branched digestion additive has the structure: wherein A is at least one alkyleneoxy group and each alkyleneoxy group has from 2 to 4 carbon atoms, n is 0 or 1, B is a branched aliphatic hydrocarbon group having from 8 to 15 carbon atoms, X is H or B-0-(A)m, and each m is independently an average value from 3 to 30, and wherein the caustic composition has a Draves Wetting Time of less than 100 seconds as determined using ASTM D2281.