Jernigan Kennedy Electochemical Recovery Process Will Replace the Kraft Chemical Recovery Process, 1998 International Chemical Recovery Conference Proceedings

Thousands of us have, quite literally, spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to make the kraft chemical recovery process more efficient, in vain. The basic inefficiency which cannot be overcome is the combustion of the one-half (l/2) of wood solublized during pulping, to smelt the inorganics.

The Jernigan Kennedy Electrochemical Recovery Process will separate and recover and recover the pulping chemicals as cathodic dark white liquor, and lignan, the pulping solublized wood. See Flow Sheet, Fig. IV. Recovery of pulping chemicals of 20% of the kraft process costs is a tremendous achievement, but the simultaneous recovery of lignan at no additional costs, is wonderous!

Lignan and dark white liquor have been rigorously evaluated through fourteen (14) sizes and designs of pilot plants. Dark white liquor has been used successfully in tank truck quantities at Mead Rome Kraft, now Inland Container. Lignan as a fuel has been successfully burned in a Georgia Power Company powdered coal utility boiler.