Poly dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride assisted cellulase pretreatment for pulp refining efficiency enhancement

The use of poly (diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) as an additive in the cellulase pretreatment process (the PDADMAC-assisted cellulase pretreatment process) prior to pulp refining, was investigated, with the objective of decreasing the energy consumption and/or cellulase dosage in the pulp refining process. Results showed that PDADMAC significantly improved the cellulase adsorption onto pulp fibers, which is responsible for enhancement in the cellulase treatment efficiency. The low molecular weight PDADMAC is more effective than the high molecular weight counterpart, because it is capable of infiltrating into the fiber pores to attack the fiber internal structure, while the high molecular weight PDADMAC just stays on the fiber surfaces. The developed pretreatment process facilitates the subsequent pulp refining process. The addition of PDADMAC has negligible effect on the strength properties of pulp while reducing the energy consumption with less cellulase dosage. One version of this process concept is proposed.