|
|
Article: Bleaching 101: the basics of bleaching.(Back to Basics)
- Article from:
- Solutions - for People, Processes and Paper
- Article date:
- February 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Paper Industry Management Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Bleaching is the process of making pulp white--able to reflect the full spectrum of visible light. Bleaching also attacks some contaminants to reduce stray dark colored particles or specs in the final sheet of paper.
Bleaching processes consume significant capital and operating expenses, often more than other processes. Also, many regulatory constraints are related to the environmental impact of bleaching. For these reasons, bleaching should receive a higher share of optimization and management focus than other parts of the pulping process. Ignoring the bleaching process always leads to higher operating costs, sometimes to unexpected maintenance surprises, and ...