Riku Andersson: Advanced NMR Analytics as a Tool to Investigate Lignocellulose Biomass for Emission-Free Pulping

Advanced NMR Analytics as a Tool to Investigate Lignocellulose Biomass for Emission-Free Pulping

By Riku Andersson

Overview

The incentive grant awarded by the Walter Ahlström Foundation has had a significant impact on my research, which is part of the international Emission Free Pulping project.

The first part of my research focused on the use of advanced NMR techniques (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) to study the properties of lignocellulosic biomass. In collaboration with the NMR research unit at the University of Oulu, we utilized various NMR methods to gain a deeper understanding of the physical and chemical properties of wood.

The aim was to understand how water diffuses through wood structures and how a new chemical water-based thiourea treatment affects this phenomenon. This research goes beyond traditional physicochemical characterization methods and examines wood-related phenomena, such as changes in water movement in different chemical environments.

This approach not only increases our understanding of wood chemistry but also opens new possibilities for developing novel, sustainable, and efficient pulping methods. The goal is to optimize these methods to produce high-quality fibers with minimal environmental impact, in line with the project’s objective of advancing emission-free pulping.

Results

Key results from the research include the effectiveness of the new water-based thiourea method as a chemical treatment for wood, even with short reaction times and at relatively low temperatures of around 100 °C.

Based on fiber analysis results, the thiourea treatment produced outcomes similar to the Kraft process, and the fibers were comparable with each other.

NMR techniques, which have previously been used in areas such as the analysis of historical wood samples, were successfully applied to study the properties and structure of chemically processed wood, including determining pore size and compositional changes.

Conclusion

In summary, the findings from this research are important for optimizing fiber production processes and for the implementation of the next phase of the research.