OBTENCIÓN DE PULPA A LA SODA ANTRAQUINONA DE Tectona grandis CRECIENDO EN COSTA RICA.

A soda-anthraquinone process was used to obtain pulp from six year old Teak (Tectona grandis) wood, farm grown in northern Costa Rica (San Carlos, Alajuela). The experiment used statistical factorial design with two levels and three variables. The variables were cooking time, cooking temperature and sodium hydroxide concentration in mass percentage; the fixed variables were bathing relationship (1/6), initial quantity of dry wood (140,0 g) and anthraquinone concentration in mass percentage (0,1 %). Answer variables were mass yield and pulp lignin content (both on dry base percentages). Best results were obtained at a temperature of 160 °C, cooking time of 45 min, and sodium hydroxide concentration of 7 % with a pulp mass yield of 45,5 % and delignification of 98 %. This time is shorter than that used in similar research and the temperature and sodium hydroxide percentage, despite being low, can be diminished further according to the results. The pulp was light beige, and showed no remaining chips or splinters; therefore, it can be stated that the soda-anthraquinone pulping was effective for wood cooking and pulp production, since it is very selective eliminating lignin without harming the cellulose, which gives a high yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]