Overview
The process of bleaching raw materials in the pulp and paper industry is a critical step in the production of additional consumer value. Currently, it is common practice to use chlorine bleaching agents, which have an excellent bleaching action on raw materials, but also have a negative effect on the environment, namely contaminating waterways and creating holes in the ozone layer (Pathak & Sharma, 2021; Parveen et al., 2022).
It is the commercial production facilities that suffer environmental damage, so they must be given increased attention. As an alternative bleaching option, enzymes and ligninolytic fungi can be used that can depolymerize and mineralize lignin, giving the cellulose raw material the desired shade of whiteness (Bajwa et al., 2019; Chaurasia et al., 2019). Thus, the primary purpose of this Proposal is to develop a plan to implement the practice of enzymatic biobleaching supplied by Clorox.
Clorox is a global manufacturer of private and industrial products that include bleaches and cleaners, and the brand’s core values are well-being, environmental sustainability, and concern for the environment and people (The Clorox Company, n.d.). In recent years, Clorox has shown a decline in profit growth, so the development of a bleach alternative that has the potential to modify the pulp and paper industry has strategic potential (Macrotrends, 2021).
There is a trend in the industry market to switch to environmentally friendly production options, which could, among others, cover related public demand (Karlsen, 2020; Bajwa et al., 2019; Gupta et al., 2022). Thus, demand for bleach is projected to grow, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, whose countries are more intensively embracing the industrialization and production of cellulosic products (DataIntelo, 2022). In other words, there are positive opportunities for The Clorox Company to move into biobleach production and sell products.
Goals
The key goal of this project is to introduce the production of a biobleaching agent based on ligninolytic fungi enzymes into the operations of Clorox, which will increase profits and build up the company’s reputational status. In order to achieve this comprehensive goal, a number of related tasks must be accomplished, namely:
- Conduct a technical analysis of enzymatic cellulose bleaching.
- Conduct market research.
- Determine the feasibility of producing and selling biobleaching products in the current market.
- Evaluate the resource availability of raw materials.
- Develop a production process.
- Test the developed product.
Specifications
The technological process of using ligninolytic fungi includes their use as a bio-additive for cellulosic raw materials. Specifically, fungi are used to break down lignin in cellulose fibers during the pretreatment step with ligninolytic enzymes, including laccase, manganese peroxidase, and lignin peroxidase (Suryadi et al., 2022).
In this process, both the addition of directly prepared fungi to the raw material and the addition of isolated activated enzymes are possible, depending on the resource capacity of the production facility. The exact concentrations and sequence of addition of the enzymes are determined by the desired bleaching effects. Further cleaning and drying are used to remove detached organic residues and prepare the pulp for further use.
Milestones
References
Bajwa, D. S., Pourhashem, G., Ullah, A. H., & Bajwa, S. G. (2019). A concise review of current lignin production, applications, products and their environmental impact. Industrial Crops and Products, 139, 1-11. Web.
Chaurasia, S. K., & Bhardwaj, N. K. (2019). Biobleaching-An ecofriendly and environmental benign pulp bleaching technique: A review. Journal of Carbohydrate Chemistry, 38(2), 87-108. Web.
DataIntelo. (2022). Global bleach market by type. DataIntelo. Web.
Gupta, G. K., Dixit, M., Kapoor, R. K., & Shukla, P. (2022). Xylanolytic enzymes in pulp and paper industry: New technologies and perspectives. Molecular Biotechnology, 1-14. Web.
Karlsen, E. (2020). Egalitarian democracy and environmental sustainability: An empirical analysis. Web.
Macrotrends. (2022). Clorox revenue 2010-2022 | CLX. Macrotrends. Web.
Parveen, N., Chowdhury, S., & Goel, S. (2022). Environmental impacts of the widespread use of chlorine-based disinfectants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 1-19. Web.
Pathak, P., & Sharma, C. (2021). Processes and problems of pulp and paper industry: An overview. Physical Sciences Reviews, 1-12. Web.
Suryadi, H., Judono, J. J., Putri, M. R., Eclessia, A. D., Ulhaq, J. M., Agustina, D. N., & Sumiati, T. (2022). Biodelignification of lignocellulose using ligninolytic enzymes from white-rot fungi. Heliyon, 8(2), 1-19. Web.
The Clorox Company. (n.d.). Purpose & values. Web.