Catalysis is a Key to a Better Future for the Pulp and Paper Industry, 1999 Pulping Conference Proceedings

Terrence J. Collins & Colin P. Horwitz

Department of Chemistry

Carnegie Mellon University

The benefits for the pulp and paper industry of fully developed technologies based on small molecule catalysts could be great indeed. With the goal of stimulating discussion, I will present beneficial possibilities that I see as realistic and even immediate opportunities for bettering the industry through catalysis. The “beneficial” qualification means that I will concentrate on developments that promise to ameliorate or remove environmental concerns while improving profitability. The discussion is not intended to be comprehensive. The focus will be on the promise of one-time-use small molecule catalysts in pulp bleaching and mill effluent treatment. Catalytic approaches to digestion will not be discussed although there are important opportunities here also. Nor will the promise of enzyme approaches be contemplated reflecting my expertise. Catalysts that are intended for recycling such as polyoxometallates, POMs, will not be considered, although some advantages of one-time-use catalysts are germane here also. I will begin by reflecting on the lack of catalysis in the industry and by reviewing the huge advantages that catalysis can bring. Then I will discuss specific potential applications of catalysis that promise to improve capital and operating costs, product quality, environmental performance and energy-efficiency. I will briefly augment my arguments by reference to the behavior of tetraamido-macrocyclic ligand catalysts developed at Carnegie Mellon University. Our catalyst-based peroxide activation is applicable in diverse fields of use including the pulp and paper field. The perceived greenness and industrial applicability of these processes has led to two significant awards in the last year: in 1999 the USA’s Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award and in 1998 the Award of the Japanese Society of Pure and Applied Coordination Chemistry.