Bleaching of non-wood pulps
In regions where there is a lack of wood sources non-wood material is very often used for pulp, paper and board production. Non-wood fibers are fibers from agricultural residues such as wheat straw and sugar cane bagasse but also bamboo, reed, flax, kenaf, cotton linters.

The lignin and morphological structure of non-wood fibers make them easier to pulp compared to wood fibers. However, during bleaching, substantial amounts of bleaching chemicals are consumed. The most common chemicals used for bleaching of non-wood pulps still are chlorine and hypochlorite. These create pollution problems. Eka has developed more modern bleaching technology based on chlorine dioxide and hydrogen peroxide for non-wood pulps. The results are higher pulp brightness, better pulp strength, higher pulp yield and significantly lower environmental impact.

Eka Purate® technology is ideal for small, non-wood pulp mills, which typically have a daily requirement of 5 ton ClO₂, or less. Eka Purate technology is supported globally via strategic manufacturing and distribution sites.