Depithers For Efficient Preparation of Sugar Cane Bagasse Fibers in Pulp and Paper Industry
Depithers For Efficient Preparation of Sugar Cane Bagasse Fibers in Pulp and Paper Industry
Depithers For Efficient Preparation of Sugar Cane Bagasse Fibers in Pulp and Paper Industry
Lois-Correa J.A
Centro de Investigación de Ciencia Aplicada y Tecnología de Avanzada
Instituto Politécnico Nacional
E-mail: joralois@yahoo.com
Information on the article: received: January 2009, reevaluated: September 2009, accepted: November 2012
Abstract
Resumen
418 Ingeniería Investigación y Tecnología, volumen XIII (número 4), octubre-diciembre 2012: 417-424 ISSN 2594-0732, FI-UNAM
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22201/fi.25940732e.2012.13n4.040
Lois-Correa J.A
negative impacts on the environment, as well (Diez and trial practice, the Horkel required an additional scree-
Lois, 1989). Due to its high surface area, the pith is very ning of the accepted fiber, which involved rotating
hygroscopic being able to absorb up to 20 times its own screens as part of the whole installation (Lois, 1986).
weight in water, while the normally clean bagasse fiber Afterwards, a vertical rotor Rietz mill for depithing ope-
absorbs only about five times its own weight (Lois, rations was adapted in Hawaii. This depither machine
1986). has a vertical shaft with swinging rotary hammers su-
Effective depithing and cleaning is the key for the rrounded by a perforated cylindrical basket. The raw
successful production of quality acceptable pulp and bagasse is fed by gravity through chutes located at the
paper from bagasse (Xing, 2010). The costs and power top of the equipment and fractions of pith and depithed
consumption of depithing versus non-depithing sys- fiber are discharged by gravity on different outputs.
tems have been explored leading to a reaffirmation of Other important developments were:
the advantages of early moist depithing at the sugar
mill (Lengel, 1983). A proper moist depithing does not a) The Gunkel depithing mill, and afterwards the Pead-
only increase the fiber content but also removes the co depither installed in the pulp and paper factory
dust and dirt that, as a high content of silica indicates, located in Paramonga, Peru, both with the design
normally go along with bagasse (Zanuttini, 1997). The solution based of hanging vertical rotors equipped
convenience of having good depithing equipment, built with swinging hammers rotating inside a perfora-
in the country with its subsequent economic and tech- ted cylindrical basket (Gunkel, 1971; Villavicencio,
nical benefits and export possibilities led to the develo- 1982).
pment of the Cuban depither named S.M. Caribe by its b) Horizontal double rotor SPM Pawert depithers
author, after a series of studies and experiments on pro- (Switzerland) with pneumatic evacuation for fiber
totype and industrial scales. and pith. The two rotors, with curved screens under
The evaluation of S.M. Caribe depithers of the new each rotor, and equipped with heavy swinging
generation in comparison with Kimberly KC-4 and Hor- hammers, rotate in the same direction, so that the
kel depithers, respectively, were conducted in test runs bagasse, fed by a lateral chute, is launched from the
directly in the manufacturer machinery workshops. Vi- first rotor to the second one.
bration values were carefully monitored and registe- c) Development of Wesmaco depither (Malinak, 1980)
red, as well as the temperature values in the upper and and Pallmann-Centurion depither (Pallmann, 2011),
lower bearings of the rotor assembly. Periodical sam- respectively, with vertical rotor supported on upper
pling and analysis on depithing operation was carried and lower brackets, both designed for preparation
out during two crop seasons in “Pablo Noriega” Cuban of bagasse and similar annual plants with simulta-
sugar factory in order to determine the depithing effi- neous separation of pith and fibers. First of them is
ciency of S.M. Caribe and Horkel depithers and the fiber built with a transmission at 90° through a pair of
quality obtained, as well. On the other hand and in the conical gears.
same way, the Pallmann depithers were also evaluated d) Vertical rotor KC-4 depither developed by Kimberly
in “Camilo Cienfuegos” sugar factory. Clark of Mexico (Mexico) with hanging vertical rotor
and only one upper support. And finally,
e) Development of Cuban depither named Caribe S.M.
Development of experimental work
by its designer in chief Lois J.A. (1986), Head of the
Background group responsible for its design, which comprises a
rotary hammer assembly, vertically suspended
The first known proposal for installing a depithing equi- from a rigid framework fixed to its base and having
pment goes back to 1912-1914, when Cuban bagasse was two openings in its top for an inflow of raw bagasse,
treated in an ordinary electric mixer. At the end of the a screening wall spaced inside enclosure and for-
40’s, it was developed the Horkel depither mill, so named ming the outer boundary of a zone for processing
for its creators P.M. Horton and A.G. Keller at the Loui- bagasse with suspended rotor fixed on upper and
siana State University based on a large number of expe- lower support with a special sinusoid-shaped distri-
rimental works (Keller, 1966; Lois, 1982). In the Horkel bution of hammers that promotes and increases the
depither, the rotor equipped with swinging hammers input capacity of bagasse.
and supported by bearings at its ends, is placed horizon-
tally. The rotor is driven by a motor through pulleys and The rotor assembly of this depither consists of rotor
belts transmission at a speed of 800-1000 rpm. In indus- shaft and hammers. The hammers are held in place by
Ingeniería Investigación y Tecnología, volumen XIII (número 4), octubre-diciembre 2012: 417-424 ISSN 2594-0732, FI-UNAM 419
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22201/fi.25940732e.2012.13n4.040
Depithers for Efficient Preparation of Sugar Cane Bagasse Fibers in Pulp and Paper Industry
plates and each hammer is secured between two plates. satility. Two models are available, S.M. Caribe-800 (me-
Each hammer has a hole to accept a securing shaft. The dium capacity) and S.M. Caribe-1150 (large capacity).
transmission unit comprises a vertical driving motor Figure 1 shows both models and Table 1 contains their
through pulleys and belts, transmission at a speed of main technical characteristics. The first prototypes were
1150 rpm. The hammers of the rotor assembly have a built in a workshop specialized in the construction, re-
clearance of about 10 to 20 mm between their ends and pair and maintenance of centrifugal machines.
the cylindrical perforated chamber. The development
of this depither has been characterized by emphasis on
Experimental methodology
bagasse feeding by gravity with a vertical rotor and self
separation of pith, which increases processing capacity Evaluation of S.M. Caribe depithers
and gives better mechanical operation (Lois, 1982). The
equipment is backed by a Cuban patent (ONIITEM, The evaluation was performed from two points of view:
1986; 1992).
As a result of the studies carried out with the colla- • Mechanical evaluation: by checking the correct per-
boration and support of the Cuban Research Institute of formance of the equipment with test runs directly in
Sugar Cane Derivatives (ICIDCA), this vertical rotor ba- the manufacturer workshop. Vibration values were
gasse depither was developed with a number of new carefully monitored and controlled at the planes: A
characteristics which give this equipment greater ver- (Axial); H (Horizontal) and V (Vertical), as well. The
420 Ingeniería Investigación y Tecnología, volumen XIII (número 4), octubre-diciembre 2012: 417-424 ISSN 2594-0732, FI-UNAM
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22201/fi.25940732e.2012.13n4.040
Lois-Correa J.A
values of temperature on the upper and lower bea- red for the S.M. Caribe depither with all values below
rings of the rotor assembly were also controlled. 7.1 mm/s which according to ISO Norm 2372 is the
maximum permissible limit for that type of equipment
• Technological evaluation: periodical sampling and indicating that it can run in continuous operation
analysis were carried out during two crop seasons without any restrictions.
of bagasse processing on continuous operation in
order to determine depithing efficiency and fiber
Technological evaluation
quality.
Evaluation for both S.M. Caribe models was performed
Mechanical evaluation during two crop sugarcane seasons at the “Pablo Norie-
ga” experimental sugar mill which supplies moist de-
Once the mechanical adjustments were completed, de- pithed bagasse to the “Research and Production Unit of
pithers were subjected to a vibration analysis during Pulp and Paper from Sugarcane Bagasse CUBA-9” in
three hours of running tests in a conveniently designed Quivican, province of Havana. Quality parameters of
mechanical test station. The vibration analysis techni- depithed bagasse are given in Table 3.
que consists of vibration measurement and its interpre- The influence of depithed bagasse, on the quality of
tation (Sadettin et al., 2006). Measuring the severity of paper produced at this factory, is shown in Table 4. In
the vibration is the method recommended by ISO Stan- the opinion of the technicians of that Research and Pro-
dard 2372 for the overall monitoring of the rotor condi- duction Unit, it was achieved a clear and convincing
tion. It detects the most common mechanical failures, improvement in the quality of paper produced and
such as imbalance, structural weakness and loose parts. their degree of brightness, and a significant decrease in
The effective value of the vibration velocity in mm/s the consumption of chemicals in the bleaching area, as
was used for assessing the machine condition. Vibra- well.
tion analysis was performed by experienced personnel,
so existing failures could be easily detected. In the case
of all evaluated depithers periodical vibration control
was done during the tests by means of a portable digital
acceleration velocity sensor with the following charac-
teristics:
Ingeniería Investigación y Tecnología, volumen XIII (número 4), octubre-diciembre 2012: 417-424 ISSN 2594-0732, FI-UNAM 421
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22201/fi.25940732e.2012.13n4.040
Depithers for Efficient Preparation of Sugar Cane Bagasse Fibers in Pulp and Paper Industry
Fibers and pith content (0SR) and are often reported at a certain 0SR value
(Schopper Riegler-value). In Table 4, the comparative
In the conventional analytical method DP-1 (TAPPI values of refining degree pulps obtained from depithed
modified) of the Cuban Research Institute of Sugar fibers of Horkel and S.M. Caribe depithers are shown.
Cane Derivatives (ICIDCA) the depithed bagasse in Tests to determine the refining degree and draining ve-
aqueous suspension is subjected to the action of a defi- locity of paper fibers by Schopper-Riegler Method of
brator TAPPI. The pith is separated through a set of sie- the 0SR were made according to standards ISO 5267/1.
ves (sieves No. 5, 12 y 100), the fraction collected on This method is applicable to all types of pastes in
screens No. 5 and 12 corresponds to the “fiber”, and the aqueous suspension, except for extremely short fiber
“pith” is retained on No. 100. Fines and soluble ele- pastes. The tests were conducted in Schopper-Riegler
ments (organic and inorganic) go to the water used in type Freeness Tester SR-10 in the specialized Quality
the analysis, the weight of the fiber and pith fractions is Control Laboratory of “Research and Production Unit
reported in percentages, and solubles and fines by the of Pulp and Paper from Sugarcane Bagasse CUBA-9”
difference. Once the washing operation is finished, the located at Quivicán in the province of Havana. In total,
fibers on sieves 5, 12 and the pith on sieve 100 are co- 90 samples of depithed fibers of Horkel and S.M. Caribe
llected on small trays and placed both in the oven at depithers, respectively, were processed with an interval
100-1050C for 24 hours. The sample processing is per- of three hours each.
formed in quintuplicate (Lois, 1986).
Brightness
Refining degree of pulp, 0SR
This parameter may or may not add much value to the
The Schopper-Riegler test 0SR quickly provides an idea ‘useful’ properties of the paper but it is the most impor-
of the refining degree relating to the speed of the drai- tant selling feature. It is a bragging right every paper
nage of the diluted paper suspension. The refining of manufacturer wants to have that he/she produces the
pulps is one of the most important stages in the paper brightest paper. Brightness is defined as the percentage
production process and influences strongly the sheet reflectance of blue light only at a wavelength of 457 nm.
forming and its physical properties. It is important to Brightness is arbitrarily defined, but carefully standar-
have reliable drainability results, since in the evalua- dized, blue reflectance that is used throughout the pulp
tion of pulp quality the physical properties of labora- and paper industry for the control of mill processes and
tory sheets are often plotted as a function of drainability in certain types of research and development programs.
422 Ingeniería Investigación y Tecnología, volumen XIII (número 4), octubre-diciembre 2012: 417-424 ISSN 2594-0732, FI-UNAM
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22201/fi.25940732e.2012.13n4.040
Lois-Correa J.A
Parameters Depither Horkel Depithers S.M. Caribe Table 4. Comparative influence of fiber
quality from Horkel and S.M. Caribe
Fiber in moist depithed bagasse (I stage), % 68.4 80.4
depithers on some paper production
Fiber in wet depithed bagasse (II stage), % 76.0 86.0
parameters
Brightness degree,% 45.0-46.0 53.0-54.0
Refining degree pulp,°SR (°Schopper-Riegler) 50.0-60.0 70.0-80.0
Breaking length, m 2500-3000 3500-4000
Brightness is measured according to standard Tappi T pulp with approximately 55 °SR in the case of bagasse
452. The efficient work of depither S.M. Caribe contribu- pulp from Horkel depither and 75 °SR in case of bagasse
ted to the elimination not only of pith and fines but also from S.M. Caribe depithers were found.
other impurities that accompany the sugarcane bagasse The results showed the efficient performance of
thus increasing the brightness of mechanical pulps as S.M. Caribe depithers which, in a single stage of moist
can be seen from the results in Table 4. depithing are able to achieve the same results that nor-
mally require a double stage (moist and wet) depithing
operation. The high fiber content of the depithed bagas-
Breaking length
se allowed a high quality paper to be produced in the
A paper strength is measured by its breaking length, it semi-industrial Pulp and Paper factory UIP “Project
means how long the paper can be before it will break Cuba-9”.
under its own weight, that is the length of a paper strip Due to the good results achieved with the S.M. Cari-
in meters that would be just self-supporting. This value be depithers, an investment program was adopted for
varies from about 500 meters for extremely soft, weak the construction of 22 machines to be installed in those
tissue to about 8,000 meters for strong kraft bag paper. sugar mills suppliers of depithed fiber to cellulose and
The value of breaking length is influenced the quality of paper factories in Cuba.
the depithed bagasse fiber and of course the least
amount of pith present, hence the importance of an effi- Conclusions
cient depithing operation. The high fiber content of the
depithed bagasse in the case of S.M. Caribe depither Due to the high fiber content in the depithed bagasse, as
allowed a higher quality paper produced in the semi- well as the good results obtained in the overall as-
industrial Pulp and Paper factory UIP “Project Cuba-9” sessment of the process, and in the mechanical perfor-
when compared with values obtained in the case of mance of the S.M. Caribe depithers, these machines are
Horkel depither, which resulted in a significantly higher shown to be a reliable alternative for co-product indus-
breaking length in a range of 3500-4000 meters versus tries demanding high efficiency and top quality fiber,
2500-3000 meters, as is shown in Table 4. such as the pulp and paper industries and the agglome-
rated bagasse board plants. Lower absorption and swe-
lling in water index can be also expected in the manu-
Results and discussion
facturing of agglomerated bagasse fiberboards using
Results in tables 2, 3 and 4 indicate that of all depithers highly depithed bagasse.
installed in Cuba, the S.M. Caribe showed the lowest le-
vel of vibration. Its electro-dynamically balanced rotor Acknowledgments
with reinforced upper and lower supports and its origi-
nal distribution of hammers offer greater mechanical The research was done with the collaboration of the Cu-
performance and reliability. The average fiber content ban Research Institute of Sugar Cane Derivatives (ICID-
reached in depithed bagasse was 80.4%, the range being CA), the semi-industrial pulp and paper factory UIP
79.7% to 80.6%. Pith and fine contents were 8.2% and “Project Cuba-9” and was funded by Deputy-Ministry
10.1%, respectively. These values are substantially hig- of Construction and Maintenance of the Cuban Sugar
her than those reached with the other three models of Industry.
imported depithers.
The quality of the paper produced allowed the addi-
References
tion of a considerable amount of refill without risking a
critical loss of resistance. On the other hand, statistical Da-Rosa A. Fundamentals of Renewable Energy Processes, Elsevier,
differences for both response variables between the 2005, pp.501–502.
Ingeniería Investigación y Tecnología, volumen XIII (número 4), octubre-diciembre 2012: 417-424 ISSN 2594-0732, FI-UNAM 423
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22201/fi.25940732e.2012.13n4.040
Depithers for Efficient Preparation of Sugar Cane Bagasse Fibers in Pulp and Paper Industry
Deepchand K. Promoting Equity in Large-Scale Renewable Ener- Pallmann Group. Depither Pallmann PMS [on line], 2011. Availa-
gy Development: the Case of Mauritius. Energy Pol., volume ble on: www.pallmannindustries.com/wood.htm#PMS.
30, 2002: 1129–1142. Paturau J.M. By-Products of Sugar Cane Industry, 3rd ed., Elsevier,
Diez F., Lois J. The Development of Cuban Depithers and the Re- Amsterdam, 1989.
sults Obtained, on: Proceedings XIX ISSCT Congress, Sao Paul S.K., Kasiviswanathan K.S. Influence of Pith on Bagasse
Paulo, Brazil, 1989, pp. 301-305. Pulp, Paper and Black Liquor Properties. IPPTA: Quarterly
Dixit A.K. et al. Efficient Depithing of Bagasse a Step Towards Sus- Journal of Indian Pulp and Paper Technical Association, volume 6
tained Availability of Raw Material for Paper Industry to Pro- (issue 3), 1998: 1-8.
duce High Quality Paper. IPPTA: Quarterly Journal of Indian Rajeev J., Rajvanshi A.K. Sugarcane Leaf–Bagasse Gasifiers for In-
Pulp and PaperTechnical Association, volume 22 (issue 1), 2010: dustrial Heating Applications. Int.J. Biomass Bioenergy, volu-
163-166. me 13, 1997: 141-146.
Gunkel-Kenneth M. Apparatus for Depithing Fibrous Vegetable Sadettin O., Nizami A., Veli C. Vibration Monitoring for Defect
Materials. Pan American Industrial Consultants. USPat. Diagnosis of Rolling Elements Bearings as a Predictive Main-
3622088, November 1971. tenance Tool: Comprehensive Case Studies. NDT&E Interna-
Keller A. Methods for Depithing of Sugar Cane Bagasse. Sugar tional, volume 39, 2006: 293-298.
Journal, volume 28 (issue 11), 1966: 26-33. Sharma R.K. et al. Bagasse Preservation: A Need for a Biotechnolo-
Lengel D. Energy Considerations in Bagasse Depithing. Nonwood gical Approach. Critical Reviews in Biotechnology, volume 20
Plant Fiber Pulping. Progress Report (14), 1983, pp. 1-7. (issue 4), 2000: 237-263.
Lois J. Consideraciones mecánicas sobre equipos desmedulado- Villavicencio E., Arana J. Fiber Depither. Process Evaluation and
res. Revista GEPLACEA, volume 7, (issue July-Sept), Mexico, Development Corporation. US Patent 4641792, Feb. 10 1987.
DF, 1978. Xing Y. Wet Depithing Systems of Bagasse. China Pulp and Paper,
Lois J. et al. Some Aspects of Depithing and Storage of Bagasse in volume 17 (issue 3), 2010: 28.
Cuba, on: Proceedings XVI Congress of ISSCT, Manila, Philli- Zanuttini M. Factors Determining the Quality of Bagasse Mecha-
pines, 1982. nical Pulps. Cellulose Chem. Technol., volume 31, 1997: 381-390.
Lois J. Sistemas y equipos de desmedulado en la industria del ba-
gazo de la caña de azúcar, Monografía, editorial científico-
técnica, La Habana, Cuba, 1986.
Malinak F.J. Depither. The Western States Machine Company. US
Patent 4,202,078, May 13th,1980.
ONIITEEM. Equipo desmedulador de bagazo y otras fibras vege- Citation for this article
tales. Certificado de Autor de Invención Núm. 21585, Certifi- Chicago Citation Style
cación de la ONIITEEM (Organización Nacional de Lois-Correa, Jorge Aurelio. Depithers for Efficient Preparation of
Invenciones, Información Técnica y Marcas) de la República Sugar Cane Bagasse Fibers in Pulp and Paper Industry. Ingeniería
de Cuba, autor: Lois-Correa J.A. Clasificación Internacional Investigación y Tecnología XIII, 04 (2012): 417-424.
DolB l/lo; l/30, 1986.
ISO 690 citation style
ONIITEEM. Equipo Desmedulador de Bagazo y otras Fibras Ve-
getales. Pat. No. 22090 (Adición a la Pat. No. 21585), Certifica- Lois-Correa J.A. Depithers for Efficient Preparation of Sugar Cane
Bagasse Fibers in Pulp and Paper Industry. Ingeniería Investigación
ción de la ONIITEM (Organización Nacional de Invenciones,
y Tecnología, volumen XIII (número 4), octubre-diciembre 2012:
Información Técnica y Marcas de la República de Cuba), Feb.
417-424.
9 1992. Clasificación Internacional DolB l/44; D21B l/04, 1992.
424 Ingeniería Investigación y Tecnología, volumen XIII (número 4), octubre-diciembre 2012: 417-424 ISSN 2594-0732, FI-UNAM