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Abstract
Over the past several years, at least three pulp mills in North America have experienced catastrophic events that resulted in the explosion of pumps, mixers, and tanks. All these mills were using 50% concentration hydrogen peroxide at the site of the explosions. In at least two instances, alkali catalyzed decomposition of peroxide is implicated in the explosion. Although many mechanical pulping facilities use hydrogen peroxide to bleach pulp, no alkali-catalyzed explosions have been reported. The current work uses a kinetic model of peroxide decomposition to explain why the peroxide bleaching process typically used for mechanical pulps has lower risks than some of the processes used to bleach chemical pulps. Safe mechanical pulp bleach liquor preparation practices are also discussed.
Keywords
Hydrogen peroxide,
decomposition,
kinetic model,
mechanical pulp bleaching,
caustic,
contamination,
risk management,
explosives,
safety measures,
wood-pulp industry,
bleaching,
pulping,
oxidation,
industrial safety,
pulp mills,
catalysis,
chemical reactions,
pulp,
bleaching,
mechanical pulping,
chemical pulping
Citation
Hart, Peter W.; Rudie, Alan W. 2010. A comparative evaluation of explosion hazards in chemical and mechanical pulp bleaching systems. PAPTAC 2010 EXFOR and Annual Meeting, Montreal, Canada, Feb. 3, 2010 : 98th annual meeting, 2010. [Montreal, QC] : Pulp and Paper Technical Association of Canada, 2010: p. 32-38: ISBN: 9780981287928.
