Acetylation of Lignin and Photostabilization of Lignin-Rich Mechanical Wood Pulp and Paper

Enhanced production and efficient utilization of lignocellulosic products are issues of critical importance to both industry and society. Benefits from the manufacture of mechanical wood pulp include high yield and low cost. During the past decade, mechanical pulping processes have been developed that can produce high-performance pulps at significantly lower capital and operating costs compared with kraft pulping. Although the production of mechanical pulp is environmentally benign, the use of mechanical pulps is restricted severely by their tendency to undergo color reversion (yellowing) upon exposure to daylight and/or long-term storage at ambient temperatures. This discoloration is cited as the principal reason for limited commercial applications of mechanical wood pulps in high-quality printing papers (Cockram, 1989; Ford and Sharman, 1996).