Back Sulfitverfahren German Sulfiittimenetelmä Finnish Sulfitni postupak Croatian Processo al solfito Italian 亜硫酸パルプ Japanese Sulfītu process Latvian/Lettish Sulfittprosessen NB Сульфитный процесс Russian Sulfitni postopek Slovenian Sulfitprocessen Swedish
The sulfite process produces wood pulp that is almost pure cellulose fibers by treating wood chips with solutions of sulfite and bisulfite ions. These chemicals cleave the bonds between the cellulose and lignin components of the lignocellulose. A variety of sulfite/bisulfite salts are used, including sodium (Na+), calcium (Ca2+), potassium (K+), magnesium (Mg2+), and ammonium (NH4+). The lignin is converted to lignosulfonates, which are soluble and can be separated from the cellulose fibers. For the production of cellulose, the sulfite process competes with the Kraft process which produces stronger fibers and is less environmentally costly.
