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Black Liquor Concentration.

Reduce purchased energy consumption in chemical recovery through use of membranes

Goal and Strategy

Develop a more energy-efficient method to remove water from kraft pulp mill black liquor.
  • Reduce energy use by 23 Trillion BTU across the US Industry 
  • Overcome barriers surrounding membrane separation technology
​R&D Needs 
Technologies to address the following barriers to membrane separation:
  • Optimal separations of water, ions, and organics
  • Robust membrane materials to withstand high temperature, high pH environments
  • Advanced high-flux membrane systems
  • Membrane fouling impacting system availability
  • Process optimization and integration with existing pulp mill systems​
Picture
Photo courtesy of Veolia Water Technologies
High-Priority Projects
Robust Membranes to withstand high temperature, high pH environments
Phase II - Development of RO membrane for rejection of salts, scale-up, and optimization, as well as completion of the business case based on actual performance parameters.   
Status: NF membranes with high rejection rate for lignin were developed in the prior phase of this work. The project is financially supported by APPTI member companies and a grant from the Renewable Bioproducts Institute at Georgia Tech.  Phase II recently won Department of Energy funding as part of the RAPID Manufacturing Institute.   
PI: Sankar Nair, Georgia Tech

Bench-Scale Membrane Testing with Characterization of Streams
There are some promising commercially available membranes that might work with black liquor. They need to be tested at industrial conditions to conclusively demonstrate that a membrane-based concentration technology can produce a permeate stream suitable for combining with evaporator condensate for ultimate use in pulping washing operations. 
Status: Launched September 2017.  As of March 2018, the test rig is operational; test procedures are in development; softwood black liquor is being tested and hardwood liquor is pending.  Model synthetic liquor is being developed and tested. 
PI:  Scott Sinquefield, Renewable Bioproducts Institute-Georgia Tech
Industry Perspective on Membrane Developments
​
The APPTI Black Liquor Concentration Committee developed a brief document in December 2021 to reiterate the key targets identified and cited in the roadmap for selectivity, flux, and fouling.  That document can be accessed by clicking on this LINK.
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  • Home
  • Mission & Vision
  • News
  • Technology Portfolio
    • Portfolio Overview
    • Goals & Projects > >
      • Black Liquor Concentration
      • Next Generation Pulping >
        • Pulping Workshop 2022
      • Reduce Drying Energy
      • Reuse of Process Effluents
      • Cellulose Nanomaterials >
        • Webinar Series 2022
      • Packaging Testing
    • Technology Roadmaps (Downloads)
  • MEMBERS & PARTNERS
    • Becoming a Member/Partner
    • Current Members & Partners
    • For Government Officials
    • For Universities
  • Forest Products
  • ABOUT US
    • About APPTI
    • APPTI Milestones
  • Contact