Reaction mechanisms in delignification of pine Kraft-AQ pulp with hydrogen peroxide using Mn(IV)-Me4DTNE as catalyst

Pine Kraft-AQ pulp was bleached with hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by [LMn(IV)(2) (mu-O)(3)](ClO(4))(2) at 80 degrees C for 120 min under optimum reaction conditions. The resulting bleached pulp was hydrolyzed with cellulase to obtain insoluble and soluble residual lignins. The alkaline effluent from the bleaching was acidified to precipitate alkaline soluble lignin. These lignin preparations were purified, and then analyzed by 2D HMQC NMR spectroscopic techniques. The results showed that biphenyl (5-5) and stilbene structures are preferentially degraded in the bleaching process, while beta-O-4, beta-5, and beta-beta structures undergo degradation only to a lesser extent. This implies that hydrogen peroxide bleaching using the catalyst is more effective in delignification of softwood pulps than hardwood pulps. The possible reaction mechanisms for the delignification of residual lignin in the pine Kraft-AQ pulp in the bleaching process are discussed on the basis of the 2D HMQC NMR spectroscopic data and the model compound experiments.