Two hybrid Eucalyptus clones having 447 kg/m³ and 552 kg/m³ basic densities were used for this study. The kraft process was used for pulping the wood chips to kappa number 18±0.5 and different alkali charges were applied to reach this delignification target. Pulp was bleached to 90±1% ISO using the ODEopDD bleaching sequence. The bleached pulp was refined and its physical-mechanical properties were determined. The lower density wood was recommended for pulp production due to its lower alkali requirement for pulping, higher screened yield, superior pulp viscosity, lower black liquor solids content and lower bleaching chemical requirement. Wood basic density did not affect significantly the mechanical and structural pulp properties.
Basic density; kraft pulping; cellulose; clones; Eucalyptus sp
