Method for Producing Pulp and Paper Products from Plants Having Bast and Wood Fibers - Patent application

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a method for producing a pulp or paper product from a plant material having bast fibers and wood fibers, such as a cannabis plant material. For example, a method for producing a pulp or paper product from a plant material having bast fibers and wood fibers includes processing a plant wood fiber material into a wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry in a first flow; processing a plant bast fiber material into a bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry in a second flow; blending the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry to provide a blended pulp or pulp slurry; and producing a pulp or paper product from the blended pulp or pulp slurry. Pulp and paper products produced from such methods are also provided. Cannabis pulp and paper products are also provided.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001]

[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 63 / 132,565, filed December 31, 2020, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference into this specification.

[0002]

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to pulp and paper products. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to the production of pulp and paper products using plant material having bast and woody fibers, such as cannabis plant material. [Background technology]

[0003]

[0003] The pulp and paper industry typically uses wood from trees, such as conifers including spruce, pine, fir, and larch, and hardwoods including eucalyptus, poplar, and birch, to produce pulp. These processes are commonly referred to as pulping processes. Paper products, such as office paper, newsprint, cardboard, and the like, can be produced from the pulp.

[0004]

[0004] However, the pulping process used by the pulp and paper industry is not environmentally or economically sustainable. The wood pulping process requires the harvesting of a significant amount of timber, from which pulp is then produced using an energy-intensive process that generally requires the use of environmentally harmful chemicals. One such process is the Kraft pulping process, which typically requires about 18.5 GJ of energy and about 65,000 L of water per metric ton of wood pulp produced (by tree variety), and also involves the use of environmentally harmful chemicals, such as chlorine dioxide, sulfates, sulfides, and hydrosulfites, including sodium sulfate and thiosulfate. Another example is the wood pulping process using a thermomechanical process, which typically requires about 9.2 GJ and about 124,000 L of water per metric ton of wood pulp produced (by tree variety), and also may involve the use of environmentally harmful chemicals, such as those listed above.

[0005]

[0005] Moreover, not only are conventional pulping processes environmentally unsustainable, they are also not time- and cost-effective. For example, existing forestry practices require approximately 60 years to produce 100 metric tons of usable biomass for the subsequent pulping process, due in part to the time it takes for newly planted trees to mature. At the same time, trees cannot grow fast enough to meet timber demand, and suitable locations for timber harvesting are becoming more remote, thereby significantly increasing the associated costs. Under the current circumstances, the cost of harvesting timber is increasing and outpacing the ability of the pulp and paper industry to reliably generate profits.

[0006]

[0006] Thus, there is a need for alternatives to conventional wood pulping and wood pulping processes that are efficient, environmentally sustainable, and capable of producing pulp and paper products in a cost-effective manner. Summary of the Invention

[0007]

[0007] The present disclosure recognizes that problems exist with currently existing technology for wood pulping.

[0008]

[0008] In one embodiment, the present disclosure relates to a method for producing a pulp or paper product from a plant material having bast and wood fibers, the method comprising: providing one or both of a plant bast fiber material and a plant wood fiber material and optionally a wood material; mechanically refining one or both of the plant bast fiber material and a plant wood fiber material and optionally the wood material to form a pulp slurry; and producing the pulp or paper product from the pulp slurry. In one embodiment, the plant material having bast and wood fibers is a cannabis plant material, such as hemp.

[0009]

[0009] In one embodiment, the present disclosure relates to a method for producing a pulp or paper product from a plant material having bast fibers and wood fibers, the method including: processing a plant wood fiber material into a wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry in a first stream; processing a plant bast fiber material into a bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry in a second stream; blending the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry to provide a blended pulp or pulp slurry; and producing a pulp or paper product from the blended pulp or pulp slurry, the first stream and the second stream being performed separately from each other. In one embodiment, the plant material having bast fibers and wood fibers is a cannabis plant material, such as hemp.

[0010]

[0010] In one embodiment, the present disclosure relates to a method for producing a pulp or paper product from a plant material having bast fibers and wood fibers, the method including: peeling a plant material having bast fibers and wood fibers to separate and provide a plant bast fiber material and a plant wood fiber material; mechanically refining the plant wood fiber material in a first stream to form a wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry; steaming and pressure refining the plant bast fiber material in a second stream to form a bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry; blending the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry to form a blended pulp or pulp slurry; and producing a pulp or paper product from the blended pulp or pulp slurry. In one embodiment, the mechanical refining in the first stream is atmospheric mechanical refining. In one embodiment, the steaming and pressure refining in the second stream includes one or more steps of chemical pulping of the plant bast fiber material. In one embodiment, the plant material having bast and wood fibers is cannabis plant material, such as hemp.

[0011]

[0011] In one embodiment, the present disclosure relates to a method for producing a pulp or paper product from cannabis plant material, the method comprising: dehulling the cannabis plant material to remove cannabis plant bast fiber material therefrom and providing a dehulled cannabis plant wood fiber material; atmospheric mechanical refining of the dehulled cannabis plant wood fiber material to form a wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry; steam and pressure refining of the cannabis plant bast fiber material to form a bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry; blending the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry to form a blended pulp or pulp slurry; and producing a pulp or paper product from the blended pulp slurry. In one embodiment, the steam and pressure refining comprises one or more steps of chemical pulping of the plant bast fiber material.

[0012]

[0012] In one embodiment, the disclosure relates to a method of producing a pulp or paper product from cannabis plant material, the method comprising: providing a dehulled cannabis plant material; atmospheric mechanical refining of the dehulled cannabis plant material to form a pulp slurry; and producing a pulp or paper product from the pulp slurry. In one embodiment, the method further comprises separate refining of bast fibers and wood fibers from the dehulled cannabis plant material, such as atmospheric mechanical refining of the wood fibers and steam / pressure or chemical refining of the bast fibers.

[0013]

[0013] In one embodiment, the disclosure relates to a pulp or paper product produced by the method of the disclosure. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product consists essentially of cannabis, flax, sunn hemp, kenaf, mulberry or mitsumata plant material. In a particular embodiment, the pulp or paper product consists essentially of cannabis or flax plant material. In a particular embodiment, the pulp or paper product consists essentially of cannabis plant material, such as hemp. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product comprises 100% w / w cannabis, flax, sunn hemp, kenaf, mulberry or mitsumata plant material. In a particular embodiment, the pulp or paper product comprises 100% w / w cannabis or flax plant material. In a particular embodiment, the pulp or paper product comprises 100% w / w cannabis or flax plant material. In a particular embodiment, the pulp or paper product comprises 100% w / w cannabis plant material, such as hemp.

[0014]

[0014] In one embodiment, the present disclosure relates to a pulp or paper product consisting essentially of cannabis, flax, sunhemp, kenaf, mulberry or mitsumata plant material and having a ratio of wood fiber pulp:bast fiber pulp of 5:1 to 1:5 on a volume / volume (v / v) basis.

[0015] In one embodiment, the disclosure relates to a cannabis pulp or paper product consisting essentially of cannabis plant material and having a ratio of wood fiber pulp:bast fiber pulp of 5:1 to 1:5 on a v / v basis. In one embodiment, the cannabis pulp or paper product comprises 100% cannabis plant material. In one embodiment, the cannabis pulp or paper product comprises about 20% v / v to about 80% v / v wood fiber pulp.

[0016]

[0016] Other aspects and features of the disclosed methods will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017]

[0017] These and other features of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description, in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example only, one or more embodiments of the present disclosure and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure.

[0018] [Figure 1]

[0018] A flowchart illustrating a method of producing pulp or paper products from cannabis plant material according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, with dashed arrows representing exemplary embodiments. [Diagram 2]

[0019] 1 shows a flowchart illustrating a method of producing pulp or paper products from cannabis plant material according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, with dashed arrows representing exemplary embodiments. [Diagram 3]

[0020] 1 shows a photographic image (Panel A) and a microscopic image (Panel B) of an exemplary bast fiber pulp prepared by the method of the present disclosure. [Figure 4]

[0021] 1 shows a microscopic image of an exemplary blended pulp (bast / wood) prepared by the method of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019]

[0022] The cannabis plant has been used industrially for thousands of years and is currently used to produce commercial products such as textiles, clothing, biodegradable plastics, paints, insulation, biofuels, food and animal feed.

[0020]

[0023] The cannabis plant has also been used, albeit in a limited capacity, by the pulp and paper industry. For example, cannabis plant material may be added to conventional wood pulping processes as a filler in amounts of about 5% to about 15% in order to market the resulting pulp or paper product as "environmentally friendly."

[0021]

[0024] There are several reasons why the pulp and paper industry does not use the cannabis plant in a larger capacity: for example, pulp and paper companies have already invested heavily in large forests from which to harvest timber, and therefore are not motivated to dispose of or invest in additional supplemental sources of biomass.

[0022]

[0025] Furthermore, conventional wood pulping processes are not suitable for processing other biomass sources. More specifically, industry-standard wood pulping processes have been optimized for hundreds of years for wood biomass and are generally not particularly adaptable to other types of biomass that have significantly different biological compositions. For example, conventional wood pulping processes generally rely on the use of steam during pre-treatment and various processing steps to soften the wood so that the fibers contained therein can be more easily extracted therefrom. However, for cannabis plants, the use of steam during pre-treatment or other processing steps can potentially denature certain types of its fibers, and the pulp produced therefrom can be unusable.

[0023]

[0026] It is understood that cannabis plant material pulping is generally attempted using conventional wood pulping processes, and it is generally not economically viable to produce pulp or paper products using only cannabis plant material in the pulp and paper industry. Economical methods and processes for producing pulp or paper products using only cannabis plant material are generally scarce. Thus, pulping processes that rely solely on cannabis plant material as the starting biomass are generally not recommended.

[0024]

[0027] Furthermore, while about 70% to about 90% of wood biomass is suitable for producing pulp and paper products, historically only about 30% of the biomass of the cannabis plant is suitable for producing pulp and paper products. Thus, those skilled in the art of pulp and paper manufacturing generally consider the cannabis plant to be a less efficient source of biomass for pulp or paper product production.

[0025]

[0028] However, despite current judgments and practices in the pulp and paper industry, the present disclosure provides an economically and environmentally sustainable pulping process that uses plants having bast and woody fibers, such as cannabis plants, as an alternative biomass source. Finally, the disclosed method of producing pulp or paper products from plant material having bast and woody fibers, such as cannabis plant material, offers several advantages over conventional wood pulping processes.

[0026]

[0029] More specifically, the disclosed method can produce pulp or paper products from plant materials having bast and wood fibers without the need for environmentally harmful chemicals, such as those used in conventional wood pulping processes. Instead, in some embodiments, the disclosed method can be advantageously carried out using only water, and in some embodiments, oxygen and / or hydrogen peroxide. In some embodiments, the disclosed method can include a chemical pulping step or a chemical pretreatment step. However, these chemical applications can be characterized as "light" chemical treatments compared to conventional wood pulping processes, for example, by using reduced amounts of chemicals and / or using less harmful chemicals. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, the chemicals that may be used in the disclosed method embodiments do not have a large, if any, environmental impact.

[0027]

[0030] Furthermore, embodiments of the disclosed method can produce plant pulp or paper products using significantly less energy and less water than existing wood pulping processes. As previously described herein, Kraft wood pulping processes typically require about 18.5 GJ of energy and about 65,000 L of water to produce 1 metric ton of wood pulp, while exclusively thermomechanical wood pulping processes require about 9.2 GJ of energy and about 124,000 L of water to produce them. In contrast, embodiments of the disclosed method can produce 1 metric ton of plant pulp (e.g., cannabis plant pulp) using significantly less energy and water. In certain embodiments, the disclosed method can use less than about 5% of the energy and less than about 33% of the water required by Kraft wood pulping processes, and less than about 10% of the energy and less than about 17% of the water required for exclusively thermomechanical wood pulping processes. As a result, it should be appreciated that embodiments of the methods of the present disclosure may be less taxing on the environment and therefore more environmentally and economically sustainable than conventional wood pulping processes.

[0028]

[0031] As previously described herein, plants having bast and woody fibers (e.g., Cannabis) generally have less biomass suitable for the production of pulp or paper products compared to conventional wood sources, but the methods disclosed herein can improve the utilization of such plant biomass.

[0029]

[0032] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the method of the present disclosure can be completed with fewer processing steps and minimal resources as described above compared to conventional wood pulping processes, such as Kraft or exclusively thermomechanical wood pulping processes that require some pre-treatment and / or auxiliary steps (e.g., to properly manage toxic chemical by-products). It should be noted that plants with bast and wood fibers (e.g., cannabis, flax, sunn hemp, kenaf, mulberry, or mitsumata) grow much faster than trees. In fact, existing forestry practices take about 60 years to produce 100 metric tons of raw biomass for pulp production, while it takes only about 36 months to produce an equivalent amount of cannabis plant biomass for pulp production.

[0030]

[0033] Advantageously, in some embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a two-stream method for producing pulp and paper products, whereby plant bast fiber material is processed separately and by a different process than plant wood fiber material. The pulp or pulp slurry produced in each stream can then be blended together to prepare a final pulp or paper product. In some embodiments, it has been found that the two-stream process is advantageous in that one of the components (bast or wood) is under-processed or over-processed when the specific processing conditions in the single stream target the ideal pulp of the other component. For example, under certain conditions of the single stream process that are favorable for preparing bast fiber pulp, the wood fiber may not be pulped and may remain in its base form. In contrast, under certain conditions of the single stream process that are favorable for preparing wood fiber pulp, the bast fiber may be over-processed and rendered useless.

[0031]

[0034] Processing bast and wood fiber materials in separate streams may seem counterintuitive, but the method embodiments disclosed herein make such processing of bast and wood fiber materials in separate streams an economically viable option. In one embodiment of the two-stream process herein, the bast fiber material is processed under a light chemical pulping procedure (e.g., low bicarbonate solution). In one embodiment of the two-stream process herein, the wood fiber material is processed under a mechanical refining process (e.g., atmospheric mechanical refining). Both streams may optionally include chemical pretreatment (e.g., sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide, or citric acid) or oxygen delignification pretreatment.

[0032]

[0035] Advantageously, embodiments of the methods disclosed herein can provide paper-grade pulp from hemp wood fibers and bast fibers, further advantages are discussed below and will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading this disclosure.

[0033]

[0036] Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein numerals refer to like elements, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which further illustrate, without limitation, exemplary embodiments.

[0034]

[0037] In one embodiment, the present disclosure relates to a method for producing a pulp or paper product from plant material having bast and wood fibers, the method comprising: - providing one or both of a plant bast fibre material and a plant wood fibre material and optionally a wood material; - mechanically refining one or both of the plant bast fiber material and the plant wood fiber material and optionally the wood material to form a pulp slurry; - Producing pulp or paper products from the pulp slurry; Includes.

[0035]

[0038] In another embodiment, the present disclosure relates to a two-stream method for producing pulp or paper products from plant material having bast and wood fibers. In an exemplary embodiment, the two-stream method includes: - peeling a plant material having bast fibers and wood fibers to separate and provide a plant bast fiber material and a plant wood fiber material; - mechanically refining the plant wood fiber material in a first stream to form a wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry; - steaming and pressure refining the plant bast fiber material in a second stream to form a bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry; - blending the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry to form a blended pulp or pulp slurry; - Producing pulp or paper products from the blended pulp or pulp slurry; Includes.

[0036]

[0039] As used herein, "pulp" refers to plant biomass that has been processed into a form suitable for subsequent conversion into one or more paper products. Pulp generally includes fibrous plant material and may be in the form of a tangled or felted sheet. Pulp may be a dry material or may still retain some moisture (e.g., wet, moist or damp). Typically, in the context of this disclosure, "pulp" is a soft, moist material, while in contrast, a "pulp slurry" is a flowable suspension of particles or fibrous material in a liquid. For example, as used herein, "pulp slurry" refers to a mixture that includes pulp and a liquid (e.g., water) that can be processed to extract the pulp therefrom. "Pulp slurry" may contain trace amounts of other materials used in processing, such as oxygen, sulfite, carbon dioxide, etc. in certain embodiments.

[0037]

[0040] As used herein, "paper product" refers to any product that can be produced from pulp. Examples of paper products include coated or uncoated printing paper (e.g., commercial printing paper, office paper, etc.), newsprint, paperboard, cardboard, fine art paper, etc. Without limitation, a paper product can be any product that is traditionally made from wood or timber pulp.

[0038]

[0041] As used herein, "plant material having bast and wood fibers" refers to plant material from any species or type of plant having bast and wood fibers. These types of fibers are known in the art and are typically found in certain dicotyledonous plants. These plants may be referred to as bast fiber plants. In exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, the plant material having bast and wood fibers is plant material from a cannabis plant, a flax plant, a sunn hemp plant, a kenaf plant, a mulberry plant, or a mitsumata plant.

[0039]

[0042] In the context of the present disclosure, the term "cannabis plant" is inclusive of any type of cannabis plant, including, for example, any plant of the Cannabaceae family. Typical recognized species of cannabis plants are Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. In one embodiment, the cannabis plant material of the present disclosure is of the Cannabis sativa species. Cannabis plants are also commonly known as hemp. Hemp typically refers to a variety of the cannabis plant that is cultivated for non-drug use. Hemp often has low levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), for example less than 0.3% THC by dry weight (commonly referred to as "industrial hemp").

[0040]

[0043] In one embodiment, the cannabis plant material used in the methods and products of the present disclosure is from a newly grown cannabis plant of the Cannabis sativa species. In one embodiment, the cannabis plant material used in the methods of the present disclosure is cannabis. In one embodiment, the cannabis plant material used in the methods of the present disclosure is discarded cannabis plant material from a producer (e.g., a licensed producer) of cannabinoid products.

[0041]

[0044] The plant material used in the method and product of the present disclosure can be any suitable component of a plant. Broadly, but not limited to, the components of a plant having bast and woody fibers can include roots, stems, branches, leaves, nodes, shoots and seeds. However, bast and woody fibers are generally found in the stalks, stems and branches of plants. Bast fibers are fibers extracted from the skin of the stalks, stems and branches of plants, while woody fibers are shorter fibers extracted from the core of the stalks, stems and branches. In one embodiment, the plant material used in the method and product of the present disclosure is the stalk, stem and / or branch of a plant. However, other components of a plant can also be used if so desired.

[0042]

[0045] When the method herein involves providing a plant bast fiber material, a plant wood fiber material, and optionally a wood material, it is intended to mean that these materials are provided as separated components. For example, the individual components may be previously separated from the plant material by any suitable process, such as a peeling step that removes the outer bast fiber material from the core containing the wood fibers. As will be understood, it is possible that the bast fiber material may contain a small percentage of wood fibers. Similarly, the wood fiber material may contain a small percentage of bast fibers. By referring to "bast fiber material" and "wood fiber material" herein, it is not intended that the respective materials are 100% pure, since separation techniques cannot always provide that level of accuracy in separation. It is also intended that one or both of the materials may contain other plant components, such as wood materials.

[0043]

[0046] When the method herein involves a step of mechanical refining, the mechanical refining may be performed by any suitable means. In one embodiment, the mechanical refining may be atmospheric mechanical refining. As used herein, "atmospheric refining" or "atmospheric mechanical refining", as used interchangeably herein, refers to mechanical refining in which the plant material is then ground and / or crushed into separate fibers under atmospheric conditions, i.e., at atmospheric or standard pressure and temperature. By this, it is meant that the plant material is not heated or cooled, and is not in a pressurized vessel or a vessel under reduced pressure. Typical conditions of atmospheric or standard pressure and temperature are about 1 atm (14.7 psi) and room temperature (e.g., about 20°C). Atmospheric mechanical refining is an advantageous process in that it can provide high consistency of refining.

[0044]

[0047] In other embodiments, mechanical refining can be a process of thermomechanical pulping, whereby mechanical refining is carried out in the presence of steam and under pressure, for example in a thermomechanical pulping refiner using pressurized steam. In other embodiments, mechanical refining is carried out in the presence of steam but under standard pressure (e.g., 1 atm; 14.7 psi). In other embodiments, mechanical refining is carried out under pressure (e.g., in a pressure vessel) or under reduced pressure (e.g., <1 atm), but without steam.

[0045]

[0048] In any of the conditions described herein, mechanical refining can be any technique, device or system capable of breaking down plant material into individual or small bundles of fibers, preferably individual fibers. For example, this can be accomplished by a device in which the plant material is crushed and / or crushed between opposing plates. The plates can be custom plates for mechanical refining of plant material having bast and wood fibers. In certain embodiments, the plates can be custom plates for mechanical refining of cannabis plant material. Mechanical refining can be performed in a single step (e.g., a single refiner) or in a series of steps (e.g., sequential refiners). The plant material can be passed through the refiner any number of times, for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or more times. Mechanical refining can include one or more screening steps using screens to capture plant material that should be subjected to further mechanical refining.

[0046]

[0049] In an embodiment of the method herein, it has been found advantageous to combine atmospheric mechanical refining with a pre-treatment step involving oxygen delignification to process plant wood fiber material. High quality pulp is obtained and processing costs are reduced by not using heat. In a further embodiment, the pre-treatment can be or include a chemical pre-treatment, for example with a citric acid solution.

[0047]

[0050] In embodiments of the methods herein, mechanical refining may be performed at one time or at various times throughout the processing of the plant bast fiber material and / or plant wood fiber material. In some embodiments, mechanical refining may be performed as a separate and distinct processing step, while in other embodiments, mechanical refining may be performed together with one or more other processing steps. For example, in some embodiments of the methods herein, mechanical refining may be performed before, during or after steam treatment, chemical treatment or steam and pressure treatment. In other embodiments, mechanical refining is a single, or a series of, or separate steps without steam, pressure or chemical treatment. In an embodiment of the methods herein in which more than one application of mechanical refining is performed, the separate stages of mechanical refining may be performed in the same manner (e.g., both atmospheric mechanical refining) or in different manners (e.g., one is atmospheric and the other is thermo-mechanical).

[0048]

[0051] When a method herein involves a step of steam and pressure refining, it is intended to refer to a single or series of steps involving treatment of plant fiber material (e.g., plant bast fiber material) in the presence of steam and under pressurized conditions. In an embodiment of the method of the present disclosure, the treatment involves chemical treatment in a heated liquid solution. The heated liquid solution may include any suitable chemical for pulping of plant fiber material (e.g., bast fiber material). In an embodiment of the method of the present disclosure, the steam and pressure refining may include one or more pretreatments with steam. Typically, the steam pretreatments are at standard atmospheric pressure, although in some embodiments, one or more of the steam pretreatments may be under pressurized conditions. In one embodiment, the steam and pressure refining of the method herein includes one, two, three, four, five or more pretreatments with steam. In one embodiment, the method includes two pretreatments with steam, both of which are under standard atmospheric conditions.

[0049]

[0052] In an embodiment of the method of the present disclosure, steam and pressure refining may include treatment of the plant fiber material (e.g., plant bast fiber material) in one or more heated liquid chemical solutions. Treatment in a heated liquid chemical solution is typically carried out under pressurized conditions in a pressure vessel. Treatment in a heated liquid chemical solution may include steaming or boiling the plant fiber material in the liquid chemical solution. In an embodiment, the liquid chemical solution may be a citric acid solution, liquid sulfur dioxide, sulfuric acid solution, sodium hydroxide solution, bicarbonate solution (e.g., sodium bicarbonate or calcium bicarbonate), carbonate solution (e.g., sodium carbonate or calcium carbonate) solution, chloride solution (e.g., sodium chloride or calcium chloride) or any combination of these together or separately or any chemically equivalent substitute. As used herein, "together or separately" means that the chemical treatment may be carried out in a single solution containing any combination of chemicals or in separate solutions of each chemical.

[0050]

[0053] In certain embodiments, steam and pressure refining may include treatment in bicarbonate solution or sodium hydroxide solution. In certain embodiments, steam and pressure refining may include pretreatment or oxygen delignification in citric acid solution followed by treatment in sodium bicarbonate solution. In embodiments of the method herein, it has been found to be advantageous to perform bicarbonate (e.g., sodium bicarbonate) steam and pressure refining or oxygen delignification pretreatment with citric acid for processing plant bast fiber material. High quality pulp has been obtained at very low chemical concentrations, thereby realizing a significant reduction in processing costs (e.g., chemical costs).

[0051]

[0054] 1, a flow chart depicting an exemplary method of the present disclosure for producing a pulp or paper product from a plant material having bast and wood fibers is shown and generally identified using reference numeral 10. The method 10 includes the steps of providing a dehulled plant material (20), mechanically refining to form a pulp slurry (40), and producing a pulp or paper product from the pulp slurry (80). For ease of reference, the phrase "dehulled plant material" is used generally herein to refer to any one or more of the plant materials provided by dehulling a plant material having bast and wood fibers. For example, the term may individually refer to plant bast fiber material, plant wood fiber material, wood, or any combination thereof. Thus, method 10 may include providing one or both of a plant bast fiber material and a plant wood fiber material, and optionally a wood material (20), mechanically refining the one or both of the plant bast fiber material and the plant wood fiber material, and optionally the wood material, to form a pulp slurry (40), and producing a pulp or paper product from the pulp slurry (80).

[0052]

[0055] According to one embodiment, providing a debarked plant material 20 may include a step of debarking a raw plant material having bast fibers and wood fibers. The raw plant material may include plant stems and branches. In some embodiments, debarking may involve removing the plant bast fiber material and the plant xylem and separating those components from the inner plant wood fiber material. In some embodiments, debarking may involve removing the plant bast fiber material and separating it from the inner plant wood fiber material and the xylem. Debarking may further include separating the xylem into its own components separately from the plant bast fiber material or the plant wood fiber material.

[0053]

[0056] In one embodiment of method 10, providing 20 the debarked plant material involves providing both a plant bast fiber material and a plant wood fiber material for processing in method 10. In one embodiment of method 10, providing 20 the debarked plant material involves providing only a plant bast fiber material for processing in method 10. In one embodiment of method 10, providing 20 the debarked plant material involves providing only a plant wood fiber material for processing in method 10.

[0054]

[0057] As used herein, "plant bast fiber material" refers to plant biomass derived from or consisting essentially of bast fibers. As mentioned above, bast fibers are typically found in the bark of plant stems and branches. In one embodiment, the plant bast fiber material may include the outermost components of the stem or branch, such as the epidermis or cortex. In other embodiments, the epidermis and / or cortex may be substantially removed during peeling to obtain a purer plant bast fiber material. The xylem is used to transport water from the roots to the rest of the plant and is found further inward toward the core of the stems and branches. As used herein, "plant woody fiber material" refers to plant biomass derived from or consisting essentially of woody fibers. Woody fibers are typically found in the core of the plant. In fact, woody fibers may be referred to as "cores" or "shives". Thus, in one embodiment, peeling a plant material includes separating the plant material into its bast, woody and optionally woody components.

[0055]

[0058] The dehulling of the plant material having bast and wood fibers can be completed using any suitable technique. In small scale operations, the dehulling can be done by hand or small scale equipment. In large scale or commercial scale operations, the dehulling can be done by industrial scale equipment such as, but not limited to, Cretes 1 ton dehuller (Cretes, Belgium), hammer mill or bladed system (e.g., HempTrain™ dehuller).

[0056]

[0059] In one embodiment, the peeling step includes cutting the plant bast fiber material and / or the plant wood fiber material to a specific length. The cutting can be by any suitable device or equipment. In a non-limiting embodiment, a Pierret cutting machine (Pierret, Belgium) can be used. In one embodiment, the plant bast fiber material and the plant wood fiber material are cut to a length of about 1 cm to about 10 cm, more specifically about 1 cm to about 7 cm, more specifically still about 1 cm to about 5 cm, and even more specifically about 1 cm to about 3 cm. In one embodiment, the plant bast fiber material and the plant wood fiber material are cut to a length of about 1 cm, about 2 cm, about 3 cm, about 4 cm, about 5 cm, about 6 cm, about 7 cm, about 8 cm, about 9 cm, or about 10 cm. In a specific embodiment, the plant bast fiber material and the plant wood fiber material are cut to a length of about 1 cm to about 3 cm, for example about 1 cm, about 1.5 cm, about 2 cm, about 2.5 cm, or about 3 cm. The plant bast fiber material and the plant wood fiber material may be cut to the same or different lengths, and in certain embodiments even shorter lengths may be used (e.g., lengths of about 25 mm to 100 mm).

[0057]

[0060] After debarking, the plant wood fibers and bast fibers may independently have a length of about 1 cm to about 10 cm and a thickness of about 0.1 mm to about 5 cm, more particularly about 0.1 mm to about 5 mm. In one embodiment, the bast fibers may have a length of about 1 cm to about 7 cm and the wood fibers may have a length of about 1 cm to about 3 cm. In one embodiment, the wood fibers may have a length of 5 cm while the plant bast fibers may have a length of about 10 cm. In one embodiment, the wood fibers may have a length of 3 cm while the plant bast fibers may have a length of about 7 cm. In one embodiment, the wood fibers may have a length of 1 cm while the plant bast fibers may have a length of about 5 cm. Again as above, even shorter lengths may be produced and used with the methods herein.

[0058]

[0061] In some embodiments, the method 10 of the present disclosure may further include washing and screening (30) of the dehulled plant material. Washing and screening 30 may remove contaminants, such as residual soil, fertilizer, pests (e.g., insects), etc., and screen for suitable dehulled plant material to continue in the process. Washing and screening 30 may be performed using water and any suitable industrial screening equipment, respectively. Any dehulled material that does not pass the screening may be discarded, used for other uses, or subjected to further dehulling.

[0059]

[0062] As described above, the method 10 of the present disclosure includes performing mechanical refining to form a pulp slurry (40). Performing mechanical refining 40 grinds and crushes the dehulled cannabis plant material to isolate fibrous material (e.g., wood fibers and / or bast fibers) therefrom. Performing mechanical refining 40 may be performed using any suitable mechanical refiner, such as a rotating disk refiner that grinds and crushes the plant material between two rotating disks. In other embodiments, the mechanical refiner may include opposing plates for crushing and grinding the dehulled plant material between them. In other embodiments, the mechanical refiner may include a rolling device for crushing the dehulled plant material. In some embodiments, the mechanical refiner may be modified to suit the methods disclosed herein. For example, the rotating disks may be modified to provide thicker or thinner fibers than provided by standard equipment. Additionally, plates of different sizes or plates with different spacing between them may be used. This may be advantageous in the methods herein to provide higher quality pulped fibers as opposed to "roping" the fibers, which tangles and results in a "rope" style fiber. Roping is a major problem because "roped" fibers can lead to jams in textile processing machines, so reducing roping is advantageous.

[0060]

[0063] In some embodiments, the mechanical refining can be atmospheric mechanical refining, which has been found to be advantageous in some embodiments to avoid over-processing of the plant wood fiber material into a mushy pulp that dries into an unusable cake by thermomechanical refining.

[0061]

[0064] In one embodiment, prior to performing mechanical refining 40, the method 10 herein may include a step of pre-treating (35) the dehulled plant material. In embodiments including washing and screening 30, the pre-treatment step 35 may occur before or after washing and screening 30. In one embodiment, the pre-treatment step 35 occurs after washing and screening 30. In selected embodiments, the method 10 herein includes a pre-treatment step 35 when the mechanical refining 40 is atmospheric mechanical refining.

[0062]

[0065] In one embodiment, the pre-treatment step 35 involves subjecting the debarked plant material (e.g., plant bast fiber material and / or plant wood fiber material) to oxygen delignification, chemical treatment, steam pre-treatment, or any combination thereof.

[0063]

[0066] Oxygen delignification may be carried out by any suitable process. In one embodiment, oxygen delignification pretreatment involves heating the debarked plant material (e.g., plant bast fiber material and / or plant wood fiber material) in the presence of O2 in a pressure vessel, such as, but not limited to, a Jaime reactor (O2 delignifier; pressure-sealed vacuum vessel). The pressure vessel may be under pressurized conditions, flooded with O2, and heated to a temperature of 60°C to 160°C to carry out oxygen delignification. In one embodiment, the temperature is about 80°C, about 85°C, about 90°C, about 95°C, about 100°C, about 105°C, or about 110°C. In a particular embodiment, the temperature is about 100°C. Oxygen delignification may be carried out for any suitable period of time, in one embodiment, from about 10 minutes to about 90 minutes, more particularly from about 30 minutes to about 60 minutes. In one embodiment, the pre-treatment step 35 further comprises subjecting the dehulled plant material to a chemical treatment prior to oxygen delignification, such as treatment with sulfur dioxide (SO2), sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or citric acid (C6H8O7) or any chemically equivalent alternative. In a particular embodiment, the pre-treatment step 35 comprises subjecting the dehulled plant material to sulfur dioxide followed by oxygen delignification. In another particular embodiment, the pre-treatment step 35 comprises subjecting the dehulled plant material to a citric acid solution followed by oxygen delignification.

[0064]

[0067] In some embodiments, the pre-treatment step 35 involves subjecting the debarked plant material to a chemical treatment (but in the absence of oxygen delignification). The chemical treatment may be carried out, for example, by heating the plant bast fiber material or plant wood fiber material in the presence of citric acid (C6H8O7), sulfur dioxide (SO2), sulfuric acid (H2SO4), sodium hydroxide (NAOH), bicarbonate such as sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), calcium bicarbonate Ca(HCO3)2 or any combination of these together or separately or any chemically equivalent substitute.

[0065]

[0068] The chemical treatments described herein may be at heated conditions, pressurized conditions, or both heated and pressurized conditions. As used herein, "heated" or "heating" is intended to include steaming or boiling the material (e.g., plant bast fiber material or plant wood fiber material). In certain embodiments, the heating is at any temperature above room temperature. In certain embodiments, the heating is at 40°C to 180°C, more particularly 80°C to 160°C, and even more particularly 100°C to 160°C. In certain embodiments, the heating is at about 80°C, about 90°C, about 100°C, about 110°C, about 120°C, about 130°C, about 140°C, about 150°C, or about 160°C. In certain embodiments, the temperature is about 100°C. As used herein, "pressurized conditions" refers to any pressure above the standard atmospheric pressure of 1 atm (14.7 psi). Thus, in one embodiment, the pressurized conditions are any pressure above 14.7 psi. In one embodiment, the pressurized condition is any pressure between about 14.7 psi and about 300 psi. In one embodiment, the pressurized condition is any pressure between about 14.7 psi and about 100 psi. In one embodiment, the pressurized condition is any pressure between about 25 psi and about 100 psi, more specifically between about 50 psi and about 100 psi, and even more specifically between about 50 psi and about 75 psi.

[0066]

[0069] In some embodiments, the pretreatment step 35 involves subjecting the dehulled plant material to steam pretreatment. Steam pretreatment may be used even when the mechanical refining is atmospheric mechanical refining, but is most typically used when a thermomechanical pulping process is used for mechanical refining of the dehulled plant material (e.g., plant bast fiber material or plant wood fiber material). Steam pretreatment may be performed under pressurized conditions, but is most typically not performed under pressurized conditions. Thus, in one embodiment, steam pretreatment is performed under standard pressure, while thermomechanical pulping is performed in the presence of steam and under pressurized conditions as described elsewhere herein. These embodiments may use a steam generator to provide steam for both the steam pretreatment and thermomechanical pulping steps after mechanical refining, and may further use a steam recycler (e.g., a cyclone) to separate and recycle the steam.

[0067]

[0070] In one embodiment of method 10, performing mechanical refining 40 is on both the plant bast fiber material and the plant wood fiber material. In one embodiment of method 10, performing mechanical refining 40 is on only the plant bast fiber material. In one embodiment of method 10, performing mechanical refining 40 is on only the plant wood fiber material. In selected embodiments of the methods disclosed herein, it may be preferred to perform mechanical refining only on the plant wood fiber material and process the plant bast fiber material in a separate processing stream and by a different process.

[0068]

[0071] Method 10 is for producing a pulp product from plant material having bast and wood fibers. In one embodiment of method 10, the plant material is cannabis, flax, sunn hemp, kenaf, mulberry, or mitsumata plant material. In selected embodiments of method 10, the plant material is cannabis plant material or flax plant material. In certain embodiments of method 10, the plant material is cannabis plant material. In certain embodiments of method 10, the plant material is hemp.

[0069]

[0072] In some embodiments, method 10 may be performed using cannabis plant material (e.g., hemp) and in the absence of any other plant material. That is, in such embodiments, only cannabis plant material is refined in method 10 of the present disclosure to produce a pulp or paper product. Thus, in further embodiments, the pulp or paper product produced may comprise 100% cannabis plant material. As will be appreciated, since there is no requirement for other biomass sources, such as wood, method 10 of the present disclosure may advantageously avoid the inconveniences associated with harvesting such biomass sources, including those previously outlined herein.

[0070]

[0073] Additionally, as previously described herein, embodiments of the method 10 of the present disclosure can produce pulp and paper products using significantly less water than typical wood pulping processes. For example, in some embodiments, mechanical refining can be advantageously performed without steam, which is typically required to macerate wood biomass during such steps.

[0071]

[0074] The method 10 of the present disclosure includes a step 80 of producing a pulp or paper product from the pulp slurry. Producing 80 may include one or more steps of washing, dewatering, thickening, forming, drying, cutting, and baling. In one embodiment, producing pulp from the pulp slurry 80 may include sequential steps of washing, dewatering, and drying the pulp slurry to form a pulp. In one embodiment, producing pulp from the pulp slurry 80 may include sequential steps of washing, thickening, forming, drying, cutting, and baling. In one embodiment, producing paper products from the pulp 80 may be performed by a procedure similar to a conventional process for converting wood pulp into paper products.

[0072]

[0075] In some embodiments of method 10, producing 80 a pulp or paper product can be directly from a pulp slurry formed by performing mechanical refining 40 as described herein. In some embodiments, further processing steps can be performed to provide a pulp slurry.

[0073]

[0076] For example, in some embodiments, the method 10 of the present disclosure may include a step of separating (50) the moisture and / or contaminants to obtain a pulp slurry. The moisture may be residual moisture contained in the dehulled plant material released by performing mechanical refining on the dehulled plant material 40. The contaminants may include undesirable plant material removed from the mechanical refining, such as non-fibrous solid components and non-aqueous liquids (e.g., sap). The separating 50 may include cyclone separation. In one embodiment, the separating 50 may include cyclone separation in the absence of steam. Cyclone separation typically involves flowing a liquid containing solid particles (e.g., pulp slurry) into a generally conical tank to form a cyclone therein. The solid particles collide with the walls of the tank and are thus detached from the liquid for collection through a bottom outlet. In the context of the present disclosure, any industrial cyclone separator may be suitable and may be modified as necessary for the methods disclosed herein.

[0074]

[0077] According to further embodiments, the method 10 of the present disclosure may further include removing latency from the pulp slurry (60). As used herein, "latency" describes the tendency of fibers to curl after refining (e.g., after mechanical refining). Removing latency 60 may be effected using a continuous stirred tank reactor, the centrifugal force of which removes the latent property (i.e., curl) of the fibers. Any industrial continuous stirred tank reactor or similar equipment may be used in the methods of the present disclosure and may be modified as necessary for the methods disclosed herein.

[0075]

[0078] In some embodiments, the method 10 of the present disclosure may further include subjecting the pulp slurry to oxygen delignification (70). As used herein, "oxygen delignification" refers to a process in which lignin is removed from plant matter using gaseous oxygen. During subjecting the pulp slurry to oxygen delignification 70, the pulp slurry may be heated and then exposed to oxygen gas (O2), which acts as an oxidizing agent to break down the polymeric structure of the lignin. In one embodiment, the oxygen delignification is in the presence of a base (e.g., NaOH). Any suitable oxygen ligninizer may be used and modified as necessary for use in the methods of the present disclosure.

[0076]

[0079] Oxygen delignification poses much less hazard to the environment than chemical-based delignification techniques, which generally involve the use of sodium sulfite baths to decompose lignin, because such techniques typically produce volatile sulfides (e.g., hydrogen sulfide, dimethyl sulfide, etc.) that must be captured and processed prior to their release into the environment. However, while capturing the volatile sulfide compounds, sulfur dioxide, a major air pollutant with significant impacts on human and animal health, is often produced as an intermediate. While most of the sulfur dioxide reacts to produce sodium sulfate crystals, some may escape into the atmosphere during processing (e.g., when pulp and paper mills are closed for maintenance). Oxygen delignification avoids these hazards.

[0077]

[0080] Instead, oxygen delignification of plant material having bast and wood fibers (e.g., cannabis plant material) produces environmentally friendly, sustainable by-products. In some embodiments, the method 10 includes capturing a waste stream during subjecting 70 the pulp slurry to oxygen delignification. The waste stream may then be subjected to steam generation and steam reclamation, thereby reusing the stream, and / or may be captured for agricultural applications, such as use as a fertilizer to grow additional plants for subsequent pulping by the methods disclosed herein.

[0078]

[0081] In addition to removing lignin from the pulp slurry, subjecting the pulp slurry to oxygen delignification 70 may also brighten the slurry such that a pulp or paper product obtained therefrom may have a brightness of at least about 70. In further embodiments, the pulp or paper product may have a brightness of from about 80 to about 100, more specifically from about 80 to about 95. As one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, "brightness" measures the amount of reflectance of a particular wavelength of blue light (e.g., 457 nm). Brightness is measured on a scale of 0 to 100, whereby the higher the number, the brighter the pulp or paper product. In contrast, "brightness" measures the reflectance of all wavelengths of light across the visible spectrum, whereby the higher the brightness rating (again on a scale of 0 to 100), the whiter the paper. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product produced by the methods herein may have a brightness of at least about 70. In further embodiments, the pulp or paper product may have a brightness of from about 80 to about 100, more specifically from about 80 to about 95. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper products produced by the methods herein may have both brightness and brightness greater than 85.

[0079]

[0082] The brightness or color of pulp and paper products is measured using the LAB color value, i.e., L-star (L * ), A-star (a * ) and B-star (b * ) can also be measured using L * represents the lightness, and a * represents the red / green value, and b * represents the blue / yellow value. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper products produced by the methods herein have an L of 70 or greater. * , -20 to +20 a * value and b from -20 to +20 * It may have a value.

[0080]

[0083] Thus, in some embodiments, the methods of the present disclosure may not involve a step of brightening the pulp slurry. This may be advantageous because a typical brightening step may use chlorine as a bleaching agent, which forms environmentally harmful organochlorine compounds as by-products. The use of oxygen delignification avoids the need for such bleaching agents and thus the risk of releasing such compounds into the environment.

[0081]

[0084] However, if further whitening is desired or the step of subjecting the pulp slurry to oxygen delignification is not performed, the methods of the present disclosure, including the two-stream method described below, may further include whitening the pulp slurry. In such embodiments, without limitation, the pulp slurry may be whitened using hydrogen peroxide, which can whiten the slurry without producing environmentally harmful by-products, such as organic chlorides.

[0082]

[0085] Thus, in view of the above, the methods of the present disclosure may be carried out without the use of toxic chemicals (i.e., toxic-chemical-free processes). It is noted that "toxic chemicals" refers to chemicals that may be harmful to humans, animals, and / or the environment upon exposure to them. In other embodiments, the methods of the present disclosure may be carried out without the use of toxic chemicals in the resulting pulp and paper products in amounts sufficient to cause harm to humans, animals, and / or the environment. As a result, the pulp or paper products produced may be free of such toxic chemicals or free of harmful amounts of such toxic chemicals. Indeed, in some embodiments, the pulp or paper products may be edible.

[0083]

[0086] Furthermore, embodiments of the disclosed methods may be carried out using significantly fewer resources than conventional pulping processes, at least in part because of the minimal processing steps required and because mechanical refining may occur without processing steps, such as steam (i.e., by atmospheric mechanical refining). As a result, in some embodiments, the disclosed methods may consume less than about 22,000 L of water to produce about 1 metric ton of pulp or paper product. In another embodiment, the disclosed methods may consume less than about 1 GJ to produce about 1 metric ton of pulp or paper product. As previously discussed herein, such water requirements may be less than about 33% of those of Kraft wood pulping processes and less than about 17% of those of exclusively thermomechanical wood pulping processes, while energy requirements may be less than about 5% of those of Kraft processes and less than about 10% of those of exclusively thermomechanical wood pulping processes.

[0084]

[0087] The method 10 of the present disclosure can produce a pulp or paper product from plant material having bast and wood fibers. Thus, in another aspect, the present disclosure relates to a pulp or paper product produced by the method 10 of the present disclosure. As described herein, in one embodiment, the pulp or paper product is free of toxic chemicals and / or is biodegradable.

[0085]

[0088] In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product is essentially composed of cannabis, flax, sunn hemp, kenaf, mulberry or mitsumata plant material. In this context, "essentially composed of" means that the pulp material of the pulp or paper product is derived exclusively from these plants having bast fiber and wood fiber material. Pulp from different plants or trees, such as softwood or hardwood, is not present in the cannabis pulp or paper product that is essentially composed of cannabis, flax, sunn hemp, kenaf, mulberry or mitsumata plant material. However, the expression "essentially composed of" does not preclude the inclusion of other residual or intentionally added materials or chemicals that may be present in the pulp and paper products of the present disclosure. For example, but not limited to, the pulp or paper product may include non-wood filler materials and / or residual chemicals from the methods disclosed herein.

[0086]

[0089] In some embodiments, the pulp or paper product comprises at least 90% w / w, at least 95% w / w, at least 96% w / w, at least 97% w / w, at least 99% w / w, at least 99.5% w / w, at least 99.8% w / w, or at least 99.9% w / w of cannabis, flax, sunn hemp, kenaf, mulberry, or mitsumata plant material. In such embodiments, the pulp or paper product may comprise, for example, non-wood filler materials and / or residual chemicals from the methods disclosed herein for the remaining weight percentage up to 100%. In certain embodiments, the pulp or paper product comprises at least 90% w / w, at least 95% w / w, at least 96% w / w, at least 97% w / w, at least 99% w / w, at least 99.5% w / w, at least 99.8% w / w, or at least 99.9% w / w of cannabis plant material, such as hemp.

[0087]

[0090] In some embodiments, the pulp or paper product comprises 100% w / w cannabis, flax, sunn hemp, kenaf, mulberry or mitsumata plant material. In such embodiments, the pulp or paper product may still contain some residual materials or chemicals from the methods herein, but it is below the detection limit using conventional equipment. In certain embodiments, the pulp or paper product comprises 100% w / w cannabis plant material, such as hemp.

[0088]

[0091] In embodiments in which a pulp or paper product may be produced by the method 10 of the present disclosure, the pulp or paper product may include plant bast fiber material in the absence of any plant wood fiber material, In such embodiments, the method 10 of the present disclosure may involve only the processing of plant bast fiber material.

[0089]

[0092] In another embodiment in which a pulp or paper product may be produced by the method 10 of the present disclosure, the pulp or paper product may include plant wood fiber material in the absence of plant bast fiber material. In such an embodiment, the method 10 of the present disclosure may involve only the processing of plant wood fiber material.

[0090]

[0093] In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product may comprise about 99:1 to about 99:1 wood fiber pulp:bast fiber pulp, more specifically about 10:1 to 1:10, even more specifically about 5:1 to 1:5, and even more specifically about 1:1 to about 1:5. In one embodiment, the ratio of wood fiber pulp:bast fiber pulp is about 5:1 to about 1:25, more specifically about 1:1 to 1:10, and even more specifically about 1:1 to 1:5. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product may comprise a ratio of wood fiber pulp:bast fiber pulp of about 5:1, about 4:1, about 3:1, about 2:1, about 1:1, about 1:2, about 1:3, about 1:4, about 1:5, about 1:6, about 1:7, about 1:8, about 1:9, about 1:10, about 1:15, about 1:20, about 1:25, about 1:30, about 1:40, about 1:50, about 1:60, about 1:70, about 1:80, about 1:90, about 1:95 or about 1:99. In certain embodiments, the ratio of wood fiber pulp:bast fiber pulp in the pulp or paper product is about 1:1, about 1:1.5, about 1:2, about 1:2.5, about 1:3, about 1:3.5, about 1:4, about 1:4.5 or about 1:5. In one embodiment, the ratio is determined on a volume / volume (v / v) basis. In one embodiment, the ratio is determined on a weight / weight (w / w) basis.

[0091]

[0094] The pulp or paper product may include any suitable amount of wood fiber pulp and bast fiber pulp. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product includes about 20% v / v to about 80% v / v wood fiber pulp. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product includes about 20% v / v, about 25% v / v, about 30% v / v, about 35% v / v, about 40% v / v, about 45% v / v, about 50% v / v, about 55% v / v, about 60% v / v, about 65% v / v, about 70% v / v, about 75% v / v, or about 80% v / v wood fiber pulp. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product includes at least 25% v / v, at least 50% v / v, or at least 75% v / v wood fiber pulp. In any of the previous embodiments, the pulp or paper product may be up to 100% bast fiber pulp. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product comprises about 20% v / v to about 80% v / v of bast fiber pulp. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product comprises about 20% v / v, about 25% v / v, about 30% v / v, about 35% v / v, about 40% v / v, about 45% v / v, about 50% v / v, about 55% v / v, about 60% v / v, about 65% v / v, about 70% v / v, about 75% v / v or about 80% v / v of bast fiber pulp. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product comprises at least 25% v / v, at least 50% v / v or at least 75% v / v of bast fiber pulp. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product comprises about 70% v / v of bast fiber pulp and about 30% v / v of wood fiber pulp.

[0092]

[0095] The brightness or color of the pulp or paper product is as described elsewhere herein. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product has a brightness of at least about 70, at least about 80, at least about 90 or greater. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product has a brightness of about 80 to about 90.

[0093]

[0096] In one embodiment, the cannabis pulp or paper product is a printed photographic paper (e.g., commercial printing paper, office paper, etc.), newsprint, paperboard, cardboard, or fine art paper.

[0094]

[0097] As described elsewhere herein, Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) is the paper industry's benchmark grade for pulp. In one embodiment, the cannabis pulp or paper product is of equal or better quality than Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft.

[0095]

[0098] As described elsewhere herein, advantageously, in some embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a two-stream process for producing pulp and paper products, whereby the plant bast fiber material is processed separately and by a different process than the plant wood fiber material. In this specification, the term "stream" is used to describe processing procedures that are separate and distinct from the different streams. In one embodiment, the plant wood fiber material is processed in a "first stream" and the plant bast fiber material is processed in a "second stream". The terms "first" and "second" mean that the streams are separate and distinct, and are not intended to mean that one stream is performed before the other or to imply a sequence of processing within the streams. Although the underlying primary pulping procedures in each stream are separate and different (e.g., mechanical refining versus chemical pulping), there may be some processing steps within each stream that are performed in the same or similar manner (e.g., pre-treatment steps, oxygen delignification steps, washing and screening steps, latent removal, etc.) or even performed together (e.g., debarking, etc.).

[0096]

[0099] As used herein, "two-stream" is meant to refer to separate process streams for plant bast fiber material and plant wood fiber material. In certain embodiments, the methods herein may include additional process streams, such as a process stream with recycled material to produce cannabis pulp or paper products that further include recycled material.

[0097]

[0100] In an exemplary embodiment of the two-stream method of the present disclosure, the method comprises: - processing the plant wood fiber material in a first stream into a wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry; - processing the plant bast fiber material in a second stream into a bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry; - blending the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry to provide a blended pulp or pulp slurry; - Producing pulp or paper products from the blended pulp or pulp slurry; wherein the first flow and the second flow are performed separately from each other.

[0098]

[0101] Thus, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, different types of plant fiber material (bast versus wood) may be separated, processed independently, and recombined to produce a blended pulp slurry from which a pulp or paper product may be produced. For example, as described above, providing a dehulled plant material includes, in some embodiments, dehulling a plant material having bast and wood fibers to remove the plant bast fiber material and optionally the wood therefrom to provide a plant wood fiber material. The plant bast fiber material may then be processed separately from the plant wood fiber material, each in separate processing streams and by different procedures.

[0099]

[0102] A variety of different procedures for processing the plant bast fiber material and the plant wood fiber material may be used, as long as each is processed by a different pulping procedure and then blended to form a blended pulp. In one embodiment, but without limitation, the pulping procedures that may be used in the first stream (wood fiber) or the second stream (bast fiber) include mechanical refining, thermomechanical refining, steam and pressure refining, steam and pressure refining with chemical pulping (e.g., Kraft process or modified Kraft process), chemical pulping in the absence of steam and / or pressure, or any combination thereof, as long as the pulping procedure used in the first stream is different from that used in the second stream. In one embodiment, the first stream (wood fiber) or the second stream (bast fiber) uses mechanical refining (thermomechanical, air mechanical, or combination thereof), and the other stream uses steam and pressure refining with chemical pulping (e.g., Kraft process or modified Kraft process).

[0100]

[0103] It has been found herein to be advantageous to use mechanical refining procedures for plant wood fiber materials and steam and pressure refining (with chemical treatment) for plant bast fiber materials in producing high quality pulp in a cost-efficient and cost-effective manner. It has further been found that advantageously, by modifying these procedures or process flows as described herein (e.g., by including oxygen delignification or chemical pretreatment), the economics of these procedures can be improved and a high quality pulp product can be obtained.

[0101]

[0104] Thus, in one embodiment, the plant wood fiber material may be subjected to mechanical refining in the first stream to produce a plant wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry. The mechanical refining may be any suitable form of mechanical refining including, for example, thermal mechanical refining, atmospheric mechanical refining, or any combination thereof. The mechanical refining of the plant wood fiber material in the first stream of the two-stream process herein may be performed as described elsewhere herein with respect to performing mechanical refining 40 in the method 10 of the present disclosure.

[0102]

[0105] In one embodiment, the plant bast fiber material may be subjected to steam and pressure refining in the second stream to produce a plant bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry. The steam and pressure refining herein may embody processes similar to, for example, the Kraft process and particularly the low chemical Kraft process (e.g., with oxygen delignification pretreatment) found to be advantageous herein.

[0103]

[0106] Thus, in a further embodiment, the exemplary two-stream method of the present disclosure comprises: - peeling the plant material having bast fibers and wood fibers to separate and provide a plant bast fiber material and a plant wood fiber material; - mechanically refining the plant wood fiber material in a first stream to form a wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry; - steaming and pressure refining the plant bast fiber material in a second stream to form a bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry; - blending the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry to form a blended pulp or pulp slurry; - producing a pulp or paper product from the blended pulp or pulp slurry. Includes.

[0104]

[0107] Herein, debarking in a two-stream process may be performed as described elsewhere herein. In one embodiment, debarking includes cutting the plant bast fiber material and the plant wood fiber material to lengths as described herein. In one embodiment, the plant bast fiber material and the plant wood fiber material are each independently cut to lengths of about 1 cm to about 7 cm. In one embodiment, the plant bast fiber material and the plant wood fiber material are each independently cut to lengths of about 1 cm to about 3 cm.

[0105]

[0108] In one embodiment, the mechanical refining of the plant wood fiber material in the first stream is atmospheric mechanical refining, which has been found to be advantageous in some embodiments to avoid over-processing of the wood fibers into a mushy pulp that can be dried into an unusable cake by thermomechanical refining.

[0106]

[0109] Mechanical refining of the plant wood fiber material may be performed by any suitable procedure or mechanism, including, for example, those described herein with respect to performing mechanical refining 40 in the method 10 of the present disclosure. Mechanical refining grinds and crushes the plant wood fiber material to isolate fibrous material therefrom. In one embodiment, mechanical refining is performed using rotating disks, opposing plates, rollers, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, an Andritz Thermomechanical mill may be modified with thermo components to perform atmospheric refining. In one embodiment, customized grinding plates for the plant wood fiber material, such as plates with customized plate thicknesses for processing wood fibers, may then be used in the modified Andritz mill.

[0107]

[0110] In one embodiment, the mechanical refining of the plant wood fiber material in the first stream comprises oxygen delignification (first stream oxygen delignification), chemical treatment, or steam pre-treatment (each of which is described elsewhere herein). In certain embodiments of the two-stream process disclosed herein, the pre-treatment of the plant wood fiber material is by first stream oxygen delignification.

[0108]

[0111] The oxygen delignification of the first stream may be carried out by any suitable process. In one embodiment, the oxygen delignification of the first stream involves heating the plant wood fiber material in a pressure vessel, such as, but not limited to, a Jaime reactor (O2 delignifier; pressure sealed vacuum vessel), in the presence of O2. The pressure vessel may be under pressurized conditions, flooded with O2, and heated to a temperature between 60°C and 160°C to carry out the oxygen delignification. In a particular embodiment, the temperature is about 100°C. The oxygen delignification may be carried out for any suitable period of time, in one embodiment, about 30 minutes.

[0109]

[0112] In one embodiment, the plant wood fiber material may be subjected to a chemical treatment prior to oxygen delignification of the first stream, such as treatment with sulfur dioxide (SO2), sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or citric acid (C6H8O7) or any chemically equivalent substitute. In one embodiment, the plant wood fiber material is subjected to a pre-treatment with liquid sulfur dioxide prior to oxygen delignification of the first stream. In one embodiment, the plant wood fiber material is subjected to a pre-treatment with citric acid prior to oxygen delignification of the first stream.

[0110]

[0113] In another embodiment of the two-stream process disclosed herein, the plant wood fiber material is subjected to chemical pre-treatment prior to mechanical refining without oxygen delignification. The chemical treatment can be carried out, for example, by heating the plant wood fiber material in the presence of citric acid (C6H8O7), sulfur dioxide (SO2), sulfuric acid (H2SO4), sodium hydroxide (NAOH), bicarbonate, such as sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), calcium bicarbonate Ca(HCO3)2, or any combination thereof together or separately or any chemically equivalent substitute. In one embodiment, the chemical treatment comprises heating the plant wood material in a citric acid solution followed by heating the plant wood material in a bicarbonate solution. The chemical pre-treatment may or may not be under steam and / or pressure conditions. In one embodiment, the chemical treatment is under pressure in a pressure vessel.

[0111]

[0114] In the two-stream process herein, the plant bast fiber material is subjected to steam and pressure refining in the second stream. "Steam and pressure refining" is meant to refer to a single or series of steps involving treatment of the plant bast fiber material in the presence of steam and / or under pressure conditions.

[0112]

[0115] In embodiments of the two-stream process herein, steam and pressure refining includes one or more chemical treatments of the plant bast fiber material in a heated liquid solution, also referred to herein as chemical pulping. The heated liquid solution may include any suitable chemicals for pulping of plant fiber materials, such as those used in Kraft-style pulping procedures.

[0113]

[0116] In an embodiment of the two-stream process, the treatment in the heated liquid chemical solution is carried out under pressurized conditions in a pressure vessel. The treatment in the heated liquid chemical solution may include steaming or boiling the plant fiber material in the liquid chemical solution. In one embodiment, the liquid chemical solution may be a citric acid solution, liquid sulfur dioxide, a sulfuric acid solution, a sodium hydroxide solution, a bicarbonate solution (e.g., sodium bicarbonate or calcium bicarbonate), a carbonate solution (e.g., sodium carbonate or calcium carbonate) solution, a chloride solution (e.g., sodium chloride or calcium chloride) or any combination of these together or separately or any chemically equivalent substitute.

[0114]

[0117] In an embodiment of the two-stream process, the steam and pressure refining may include one or more pretreatments of the plant wood fiber material with steam. The steam pretreatment may be under pressurized conditions, but typically the steam pretreatment is at standard atmospheric pressure. In one embodiment, the plant bast fiber material is pretreated with steam at least once, at least twice, at least three times, at least four times, or at least five times in the second stream. In one embodiment, the plant bast fiber material is pretreated with steam twice in the second stream, both of which are under standard atmospheric conditions.

[0115]

[0118] In the embodiment of the two-stream process, the plant bast fiber material may be subjected to pretreatment by oxygen delignification (second-stream oxygen delignification) or chemical treatment. The second-stream oxygen delignification may be carried out in a manner similar to that described herein for the first-stream oxygen delignification. Similarly, the chemical pretreatment in the second stream may be the same as the embodiment described for the first-stream chemical treatment.

[0116]

[0119] In certain embodiments of the two-stream method disclosed herein, the plant bast fiber material is subjected to oxygen delignification in the second stream. In one embodiment, the oxygen delignification in the second stream comprises heating the plant bast fiber material in a pressure vessel in the presence of O2. In one embodiment, the second stream comprises treating the plant wood fiber material with sulfur dioxide, sodium hydroxide, or citric acid prior to the oxygen delignification in the first stream. In a particular embodiment, with citric acid.

[0117]

[0120] With respect to processing plant bast fiber material according to the two-stream method herein, it has been found that advantageously, reduced chemical pulping procedures can be used when pretreatment is performed by chemical pretreatment or oxygen delignification. For example, in an embodiment of the method herein, it has been found to be advantageous to perform bicarbonate (e.g., sodium bicarbonate) steam and pressure refining or oxygen delignification pretreatment with citric acid to process plant bast fiber material. High-quality pulp is obtained with very low chemical concentrations, thereby realizing a significant reduction in processing costs (e.g., chemical costs).

[0118]

[0121] Thus, in one embodiment, steam and pressure refining in the second stream comprises one or more steps of chemical pulping including heating the plant bast material in a citric acid solution followed by heating the plant wood material in a bicarbonate solution (e.g., sodium bicarbonate), both under steam and pressure conditions. In another embodiment, steam and pressure refining in the second stream comprises oxygen delignification followed by heating the plant wood material in a bicarbonate solution (e.g., sodium bicarbonate) under steam and pressure conditions.

[0119]

[0122] In one or both of the first and second streams, a step of separating moisture and / or contaminants may be performed, for example after mechanical refining (wood fiber) and steam and pressure refining (bast fiber). Separating water from the plant bast fiber material may remove water introduced into the plant bast fiber material from condensed steam during steam and pressure refining or during any pre-treatment step. Separating water from the plant wood fiber material may remove residual moisture contained in the plant wood fiber material liberated during mechanical refining or introduced during processing (e.g., during a pre-treatment step). In some embodiments, separating water includes cyclone separation. Cyclone separation may be completed in the same or similar manner as previously described herein, but in an exemplary embodiment, it is performed in the second stream in the presence of steam to process the bast fiber material, while the processing of the wood fiber material is preferably performed in the absence of steam. In further embodiments, water may be recycled and used to generate steam, which may then be used in the pre-treatment and / or steam and pressure refining steps, thereby reducing the water requirements of the method of the present disclosure.

[0120]

[0123] In one embodiment, one or both of the first and second streams may include washing and screening the plant bast fiber material and / or the plant wood fiber material. In one embodiment, washing and screening may occur after dehulling the plant material and prior to mechanical refining of the plant wood fiber material and steam and pressure refining of the plant bast fiber material. In some embodiments, the first and second streams further include removing latent material from the plant bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry and / or the plant wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry. The washing and screening and removal of latent material may occur in the same or similar manner as steps 30 and 60 previously described herein with respect to method 10 of the present disclosure, respectively, in connection with the two-stream method.

[0121]

[0124] Thus, in one embodiment of the two-stream process herein, the first stream processing of the plant wood fiber material may include the sequential steps of: (i) a wood pre-treatment step by chemical treatment or oxygen delignification; (ii) washing and screening the plant wood fiber material; (iii) mechanical refining; (iv) cyclone separation in the absence of steam; and (v) removing and / or screening latent material to form a wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry.

[0122]

[0125] Alternatively, in another embodiment, the first stream processing of plant wood fiber material may include the sequential steps of: (i) washing and screening the plant wood fiber material; (ii) a wood pre-treatment step by chemical treatment or oxygen delignification; (iii) mechanical refining; (iv) cyclone separation in the absence of steam; and (v) removing and / or screening potential to form a wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry.

[0123]

[0126] Alternatively, in another embodiment, the first stream processing of the plant wood fiber material may include the sequential steps of: (i) washing and screening the plant wood fiber material; (ii) mechanical refining; (iii) cyclone separation in the absence of steam; and (iv) removing and / or screening latent material to form a wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry.

[0124]

[0127] Alternatively, in another embodiment, first stream processing of plant wood fiber material may include the sequential steps of: (i) a wood pre-treatment step by chemical treatment or oxygen delignification; (ii) mechanical refining; (iii) cyclone separation in the absence of steam; and (iv) removing and / or screening potential to form a wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry.

[0125]

[0128] With regard to the second stream, in one embodiment of the two-stream method herein, the second stream processing of the plant bast fiber material may include the sequential steps of (i) performing a bast pre-treatment step by chemical treatment or oxygen delignification; (ii) washing and screening the plant bast fiber material; (iii) pre-treating the washed plant bast fiber material with steam; (iv) performing steam and pressure refining; (v) performing a steam separation step in a cyclone to remove steam from the steam and pressure refining; and (vi) removing and / or screening potential to form a bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry.

[0126]

[0129] Alternatively, in another embodiment, the second stream processing of the plant bast fiber material may include the sequential steps of: (i) washing and screening the plant bast fiber material; (ii) performing a bast pre-treatment step by chemical treatment or oxygen delignification; (iii) pre-treating the plant bast fiber material with steam; (iv) performing steam and pressure refining; (v) performing a steam separation step in a cyclone to remove steam from the steam and pressure refining; and (vi) removing and / or screening potential to form a bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry.

[0127]

[0130] Alternatively, in another embodiment, the second stream processing of the plant bast fiber material may include the sequential steps of: (i) washing and screening the plant bast fiber material; (ii) performing a bast pre-treatment step by chemical treatment or oxygen delignification; (iii) performing steam and pressure refining; (iv) performing a steam separation step in a cyclone to remove steam from the steam and pressure refining; and (v) removing and / or screening potential to form a bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry.

[0128]

[0131] Alternatively, in another embodiment, the second stream processing of the plant bast fiber material may include the sequential steps of: (i) washing and screening the plant bast fiber material; (ii) pre-treating the plant bast fiber material with steam; (iii) steam and pressure refining; (iv) performing a steam separation step in a cyclone to remove steam from the steam and pressure refining; and (v) removing and / or screening latent material to form a bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry.

[0129]

[0132] The method of the present disclosure provides a wood fiber pulp or pulp and a bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry for subsequent refining into a pulp or paper product. "Wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry" means a pulp or pulp slurry that is substantially composed of plant wood fibers. "Substantially composed of plant wood fibers" means that the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry may contain plant materials other than wood fibers, but that bast fibers, if present in the wood pulp or pulp slurry, are only a minor component (e.g., less than 5% w / w, less than 4% w / w, less than 3% w / w, less than 2% w / w, less than 1% w / w, less than 0.5% w / w, less than 0.25% w / w, less than 0.1% w / w or even less). "Bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry" means a pulp or pulp slurry that is substantially composed of plant bast fibers. "Consisting essentially of plant bast fibers" means that the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry may contain plant materials other than bast fibers, but that if wood fibers are present in the bast pulp or pulp slurry, they are only a minor component (e.g., less than 5% w / w, less than 4% w / w, less than 3% w / w, less than 2% w / w, less than 1% w / w, less than 0.5% w / w, less than 0.25% w / w, less than 0.1% w / w or even less).

[0130]

[0133] As indicated above, once produced, the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry may be blended to form a blended pulp or pulp slurry from which a pulp or paper product may be produced. The bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry may be blended by any suitable procedure using any suitable machinery and may be blended in any predetermined ratio.

[0131]

[0134] In one embodiment, the blending of the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry is performed in a blending chest. As used herein, the term "blending chest" refers to any open or closed container in which the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry can be placed and mixed or blended together. In one embodiment, the blending chest can mix the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry to form a substantially homogenous mixture of the two. "Substantially homogenous mixture" is meant to refer to a generally uniform dispersion of the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry in the blended pulp or pulp slurry.

[0132]

[0135] In one embodiment, the blending chest is a vessel (e.g., container) that can be pressurized for mixing of the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry. In one embodiment, a slight amount of pressure is applied to the blending chest. Recycle mills typically use a blending chest to mix high quality new or fresh pulp with lower quality recycled pulp to create a substantially homogenous "recycled" pulp product.

[0133]

[0136] In one embodiment, blending the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry may include washing and drying in a blending chest.

[0134]

[0137] In one embodiment, blending the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry may include applying sulfur dioxide to produce a blended pulp or pulp slurry. In some embodiments, the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry and / or the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry may retain more than a desired concentration of cellulose or hemicellulose. A higher concentration of cellulose and / or hemicellulose may cause the pulp to be stiffer than desired, thereby making the blended pulp or pulp slurry less processable. The application of small amounts of sulfur dioxide during blending can reduce this undesirable characteristic.

[0135]

[0138] In one embodiment, blending the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry is performed in the absence of light and under mild pressure conditions. The blending chest creates an environment conducive to such reaction conditions, which may result in stronger bonding between any dyes and the blended pulp or pulp slurry. Thus, in one embodiment, blending the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry includes applying one or more dyes to dye the blended pulp or pulp slurry.

[0136]

[0139] As described above, the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry can be blended in a predetermined ratio. The predetermined ratio between the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry can be any suitable ratio based on the characteristics of the starting plant material and the resulting pulp (e.g., based on cellulose or hemicellulose content). For example, the optimal amounts of each of the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry for blending and the predetermined ratio between them in the blended pulp can vary based on the plant growth conditions (e.g., year-to-year variations, species variations, location, crop type, e.g., irrigated vs. dry, etc.), which can affect, for example, the cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin content, thereby varying the predetermined fiber ratio.

[0137]

[0140] In one embodiment, the blended pulp slurry can include a predetermined ratio of wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry:bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry of about 99:1 to about 99:1, more specifically about 10:1 to 1:10, even more specifically about 5:1 to 1:5, and even more specifically about 1:1 to about 1:5. In one embodiment, the predetermined ratio of wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry:bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry is about 5:1 to about 1:25, more specifically about 1:1 to 1:10, and even more specifically about 1:1 to 1:5. In one embodiment, the blended pulp slurry can include a ratio of wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry:bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry of about 5:1, about 4:1, about 3:1, about 2:1, about 1:1, about 1:2, about 1:3, about 1:4, about 1:5, about 1:6, about 1:7, about 1:8, about 1:9, about 1:10, about 1:15, about 1:20, about 1:25, about 1:30, about 1:40, about 1:50, about 1:60, about 1:70, about 1:80, about 1:90, about 1:95 or about 1:99. In certain embodiments, the predetermined ratio of wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry:bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry is about 1:1, about 1:1.5, about 1:2, about 1:2.5, about 1:3, about 1:3.5, about 1:4, about 1:4.5, or about 1:5. In one embodiment, the predetermined ratio is determined on a volume / volume (v / v) basis. In one embodiment, the predetermined ratio is determined on a weight / weight (w / w) basis.

[0138]

[0141] The blended pulp or pulp slurry may include any suitable amount of wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry and bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry to produce a quality pulp or paper product. In one embodiment, the blended pulp or pulp slurry may include about 20% v / v to about 80% v / v of wood fiber pulp slurry, up to 100% of the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry. In one embodiment, the blended pulp or pulp slurry may include about 20% v / v, about 25% v / v, about 30% v / v, about 35% v / v, about 40% v / v, about 45% v / v, about 50% v / v, about 55% v / v, about 60% v / v, about 65% v / v, about 70% v / v, about 75% v / v, or about 80% v / v of wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry. In one embodiment, the blended pulp or pulp slurry comprises at least 25% v / v, at least 50% v / v, or at least 75% v / v of wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry. In any of the previous embodiments, the blended pulp or pulp slurry can be up to 100% bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry or bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry and any other suitable pulping ingredients or components. In one embodiment, the blended pulp or pulp slurry comprises about 80% v / v, about 75% v / v, about 70% v / v, about 65% v / v, about 60% v / v, about 55% v / v, about 50% v / v, about 45% v / v, about 40% v / v, about 35% v / v, about 30% v / v, about 25% v / v, or about 20% v / v of bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry. In certain embodiments, the blended pulp or pulp slurry may include about 30% v / v wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry and about 70% v / v bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry.

[0139]

[0142] The two-stream method of the present disclosure is for producing pulp products from plant material having bast fibers and woody fibers. In one embodiment of the two-stream method, the plant material is cannabis, flax, sunn hemp, kenaf, mulberry or mitsumata plant material. In selected embodiments of the two-stream method, the plant material is cannabis plant material or flax plant material. In certain embodiments of the two-stream method, the plant material is cannabis plant material. In certain embodiments of the two-stream method, the plant material is hemp.

[0140]

[0143] In some embodiments, the two-stream method may be carried out using cannabis plant material (e.g., hemp) and in the absence of any other plant material. That is, in such embodiments, only the cannabis plant material is refined in the two-stream method of the present disclosure to produce a pulp or paper product. Thus, in further embodiments, the pulp or paper product produced may comprise 100% cannabis plant material. As will be appreciated, since there is no requirement for other biomass sources, such as wood, the two-stream method of the present disclosure may advantageously avoid the inconveniences associated with the harvesting of such biomass sources, including those previously outlined herein.

[0141]

[0144] The blended pulp slurry formed from blending the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry may be subsequently processed in the same or similar manner as outlined above (e.g., subjected to oxygen delignification, latency screening, etc.) to produce a pulp or paper product.

[0142]

[0145] In one embodiment of the two-stream process, producing a pulp or paper product from the blended pulp or pulp slurry may include one or more steps of washing, dewatering, thickening, forming, drying, cutting, and baling. In one embodiment, producing a pulp from the blended pulp or pulp slurry may include sequential steps of washing, dewatering, and drying the pulp slurry to form a pulp. In one embodiment, producing a pulp from the blended pulp or pulp slurry may include sequential steps of washing, thickening, forming, drying, cutting, and baling. In one embodiment, producing a paper product from the pulp may be done by a procedure similar to the conventional process for converting wood pulp into paper products.

[0143]

[0146] In some embodiments of the two-stream process, producing a pulp or paper product can be directly from the blended pulp or pulp slurry. In some embodiments, further processing steps can be performed to provide a pulp slurry. In one embodiment, the blended pulp or pulp slurry is subjected to oxygen delignification. In one embodiment, the blended pulp or pulp slurry is subjected to latency screening. In one embodiment, the blended pulp or pulp slurry is subjected to oxygen delignification and latency screening sequentially.

[0144]

[0147] For greater clarity, Figure 2 shows a flow chart depicting an exemplary two-stream process of the present disclosure for producing pulp or paper products from plant material having bast and wood fibers. As shown in Figure 2, the process involves producing and blending plant bast fiber and wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry. The two-stream process is generally identified using reference numeral 110.

[0145]

[0148] As shown in FIG. 2, the method 110 may include dehulling a plant material having bast fibers and wood fibers to separate and provide both plant bast fiber material and plant wood fiber material (120); mechanically refining the plant wood fiber material to form a wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry (130); steam and pressure refining the plant bast fiber material to form a bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry (140); blending the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry to form a blended pulp or pulp slurry (150); and producing a pulp or paper product from the blended pulp or pulp slurry (160).

[0146]

[0149] As discussed above, in one embodiment, the method 110 may further include cyclone separation in the absence of steam (170a) following mechanical refining 130 to provide a wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry. The method 110 may also include one or more additional steps of processing and / or producing a wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry. For example, in some embodiments, forming the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry includes subjecting the plant wood fiber material to a pre-treatment step, such as chemical treatment and / or oxygen delignification (175a); washing and screening the plant wood fiber material (180a), mechanical refining 130, cyclone separation in the absence of steam 170a; and removing and screening latent particles to form a wood fiber pulp slurry (190a). As noted above, each of steps 130, 170a, 175a, 180a, and 190a may be performed in the same or similar manner as previously described herein with respect to method 10.

[0147]

[0150] Additionally, and as noted above, in one embodiment, the method 110 may further include cyclone separation (170b) to remove steam from the plant bast fiber material after steam and pressure refining 140 of the plant bast fiber material. It should be noted that the difference between cyclone separation 170a and cyclone separation 170b is that cyclone separation 170b is not necessarily performed in the absence of steam. Moreover, the method 110 may also include one or more further steps of processing and / or producing a bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry. For example, in some embodiments, forming the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry includes subjecting the plant bast fiber material to a pre-treatment step, such as chemical treatment and / or oxygen delignification (175b); washing and screening the plant bast fiber material (180b), and pre-treating the washed plant bast fiber material with steam (200); steam and pressure refining (140); cyclone separation 170b to remove steam; and removing and screening latent to form the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry (190b). It is noted that each of steps 140, 170b, 175b, 180b, 190b, and 200 may be performed as previously described herein.

[0148]

[0151] While some embodiments of the present disclosure involve the use of steam and pressure refining to produce a plant bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry (e.g., the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2), such embodiments still provide several advantages. For example, in some embodiments, steam and pressure refining of plant bast fiber material may be completed using only water and / or mild chemicals, and does not require the use of toxic chemicals. It is noted that plant bast fibers generally constitute a small portion of the raw plant material. As a result, there is generally less plant bast fiber material to process, as compared to, for example, wood-derived material used in conventional Kraft wood pulping processes. Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, only trace components of the blended pulp or pulp slurry may be derived from the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry, and therefore the use of steam and pressure refining processes may be minimal for these products. Even in embodiments where the blended pulp or pulp slurry contains a greater amount of bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry than wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry, the inclusion of wood fiber material in the blended product results in less material being processed by steam and pressure refining than a pulp made exclusively from bast fiber material. Thus, energy requirements and water utilization may be significantly less than that required for wood kraft processing.

[0149]

[0152] The present disclosure also relates to a pulp or paper product produced by the methods described therein. The pulp or paper product may be any of those previously described herein.

[0150]

[0153] In certain embodiments, a pulp or paper product may be produced by the two-stream method of the present disclosure. Thus, in another aspect, the present disclosure relates to a pulp or paper product produced by the two-stream method of the present disclosure. As described herein, in one embodiment, the pulp or paper product is free of toxic chemicals and / or is biodegradable.

[0151]

[0154] In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product is essentially composed of cannabis, flax, sunn hemp, kenaf, mulberry or mitsumata plant material. In this context, "essentially composed of" means that the pulp material of the pulp or paper product is derived exclusively from these plants having bast fiber and wood fiber material. Pulp from different plants or trees, such as softwood or hardwood timber, is not present in the cannabis pulp or paper product that is essentially composed of cannabis, flax, sunn hemp, kenaf, mulberry or mitsumata plant material. However, the expression "essentially composed of" does not preclude the inclusion of other residual or intentionally added materials or chemicals that may be present in the pulp and paper products of the present disclosure. For example, but not limited to, the pulp or paper product may include non-wood filler materials and / or residual chemicals from the methods disclosed herein.

[0152]

[0155] In some embodiments, the pulp or paper product comprises at least 90% w / w, at least 95% w / w, at least 96% w / w, at least 97% w / w, at least 99% w / w, at least 99.5% w / w, at least 99.8% w / w, or at least 99.9% w / w of cannabis, flax, sunn hemp, kenaf, mulberry, or mitsumata plant material. In such embodiments, the pulp or paper product may comprise, for example, non-wood filler materials and / or residual chemicals from the methods disclosed herein for the remaining weight percentage up to 100%. In certain embodiments, the pulp or paper product comprises at least 90% w / w, at least 95% w / w, at least 96% w / w, at least 97% w / w, at least 99% w / w, at least 99.5% w / w, at least 99.8% w / w, or at least 99.9% w / w of cannabis plant material, such as hemp.

[0153]

[0156] In some embodiments, the pulp or paper product comprises 100% w / w cannabis, flax, sunn hemp, kenaf, mulberry or mitsumata plant material. In such embodiments, the pulp or paper product may still contain some residual materials or chemicals from the methods herein, but it is below the detection limit using conventional equipment. In certain embodiments, the pulp or paper product comprises 100% w / w cannabis plant material, such as hemp.

[0154]

[0157] In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product may comprise about 99:1 to about 99:1 wood fiber pulp:bast fiber pulp, more specifically about 10:1 to 1:10, even more specifically about 5:1 to 1:5, and even more specifically about 1:1 to about 1:5. In one embodiment, the ratio of wood fiber pulp:bast fiber pulp is about 5:1 to about 1:25, more specifically about 1:1 to 1:10, and even more specifically about 1:1 to 1:5. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product may comprise a ratio of wood fiber pulp:bast fiber pulp of about 5:1, about 4:1, about 3:1, about 2:1, about 1:1, about 1:2, about 1:3, about 1:4, about 1:5, about 1:6, about 1:7, about 1:8, about 1:9, about 1:10, about 1:15, about 1:20, about 1:25, about 1:30, about 1:40, about 1:50, about 1:60, about 1:70, about 1:80, about 1:90, about 1:95 or about 1:99. In certain embodiments, the ratio of wood fiber pulp:bast fiber pulp in the pulp or paper product is about 1:1, about 1:1.5, about 1:2, about 1:2.5, about 1:3, about 1:3.5, about 1:4, about 1:4.5 or about 1:5. In one embodiment, the ratio is determined on a volume / volume (v / v) basis. In one embodiment, the ratio is determined on a weight / weight (w / w) basis.

[0155]

[0158] The pulp or paper product may include any suitable amount of wood fiber pulp and bast fiber pulp. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product includes about 20% v / v to about 80% v / v wood fiber pulp. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product includes about 20% v / v, about 25% v / v, about 30% v / v, about 35% v / v, about 40% v / v, about 45% v / v, about 50% v / v, about 55% v / v, about 60% v / v, about 65% v / v, about 70% v / v, about 75% v / v, or about 80% v / v wood fiber pulp. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product includes at least 25% v / v, at least 50% v / v, or at least 75% v / v wood fiber pulp. In any of the previous embodiments, the pulp or paper product may be up to 100% bast fiber pulp. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product comprises about 20% v / v to about 80% v / v of bast fiber pulp. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product comprises about 20% v / v, about 25% v / v, about 30% v / v, about 35% v / v, about 40% v / v, about 45% v / v, about 50% v / v, about 55% v / v, about 60% v / v, about 65% v / v, about 70% v / v, about 75% v / v or about 80% v / v of bast fiber pulp. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product comprises at least 25% v / v, at least 50% v / v or at least 75% v / v of bast fiber pulp. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product comprises about 70% v / v of bast fiber pulp and about 30% v / v of wood fiber pulp.

[0156]

[0159] The brightness or color of the pulp or paper product is as described elsewhere herein. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product has a brightness of at least about 70, at least about 80, at least about 90 or greater. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product has a brightness of about 80 to about 90.

[0157]

[0160] In one embodiment, the pulp or paper product of the present disclosure is a printed photographic paper (eg, commercial printing paper, office paper, etc.), newsprint, paperboard, cardboard, or fine art paper.

[0158]

[0161] As described elsewhere herein, Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) is the paper industry's benchmark grade for pulp. In one embodiment, the pulp or paper products of the present disclosure are of equal or better quality than Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft.

[0159]

[0162] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a cannabis pulp or paper product is provided consisting essentially of cannabis plant material and having a ratio of wood fiber pulp:bast fiber pulp of 5:1 to 1:5.

[0160]

[0163] In this context, "consists essentially of" means that the pulp material of the cannabis pulp or paper product is derived exclusively from the cannabis plant. Pulp from a different plant or tree, such as softwood or hardwood lumber, is not present in the cannabis pulp or paper product. However, the expression "consists essentially of" does not preclude the inclusion of other residual or intentionally added materials or chemicals that may be present in the cannabis pulp and paper products of the present disclosure. For example, but not limited to, the cannabis pulp or paper product may include non-wood filler materials and / or residual chemicals from the methods disclosed herein.

[0161]

[0164] In some embodiments, the cannabis pulp or paper product comprises at least 90% w / w, at least 95% w / w, at least 96% w / w, at least 97% w / w, at least 99% w / w, at least 99.5% w / w, at least 99.8% w / w or at least 99.9% w / w of cannabis plant material. In such embodiments, the cannabis pulp or paper product may comprise, for example, non-wood filler materials and / or residual chemicals from the methods disclosed herein for the remaining weight percentage up to 100%.

[0162]

[0165] In some embodiments, the cannabis pulp or paper product comprises 100% w / w cannabis plant material. In such embodiments, the pulp or paper product may still contain some residual materials or chemicals from the methods herein, but below the limits of detection using conventional equipment.

[0163]

[0166] In one embodiment, the cannabis pulp or paper product may comprise about 99:1 to about 99:1 cannabis wood fiber pulp: cannabis bast fiber pulp, more specifically about 10:1 to 1:10, even more specifically about 5:1 to 1:5, and even more specifically about 1:1 to about 1:5. In one embodiment, the ratio of cannabis wood fiber pulp: cannabis bast fiber pulp is about 5:1 to about 1:25, more specifically about 1:1 to 1:10, and even more specifically about 1:1 to 1:5. In one embodiment, the cannabis pulp or paper product may comprise a ratio of about 5:1, about 4:1, about 3:1, about 2:1, about 1:1, about 1:2, about 1:3, about 1:4, about 1:5, about 1:6, about 1:7, about 1:8, about 1:9, about 1:10, about 1:15, about 1:20, about 1:25, about 1:30, about 1:40, about 1:50, about 1:60, about 1:70, about 1:80, about 1:90, about 1:95 or about 1:99 of cannabis wood fiber pulp:cannabis bast fiber pulp. In certain embodiments, the ratio of cannabis wood fiber pulp to cannabis bast fiber pulp in the pulp or paper product is about 1:1, about 1:1.5, about 1:2, about 1:2.5, about 1:3, about 1:3.5, about 1:4, about 1:4.5, or about 1:5. In one embodiment, the ratio is determined on a volume / volume (v / v) basis. In one embodiment, the ratio is determined on a weight / weight (w / w) basis.

[0164]

[0167] The cannabis pulp or paper product may contain any suitable amount of cannabis wood fiber pulp and cannabis bast fiber pulp. In one embodiment, the cannabis pulp or paper product contains about 20% v / v to about 80% v / v of cannabis wood fiber pulp. In one embodiment, the cannabis pulp or paper product contains about 20% v / v, about 25% v / v, about 30% v / v, about 35% v / v, about 40% v / v, about 45% v / v, about 50% v / v, about 55% v / v, about 60% v / v, about 65% v / v, about 70% v / v, about 75% v / v or about 80% v / v of cannabis wood fiber pulp. In one embodiment, the cannabis pulp or paper product contains at least 25% v / v, at least 50% v / v or at least 75% v / v of cannabis wood fiber pulp. In any of the previous embodiments, the cannabis pulp or paper product may be up to 100% cannabis bast fiber pulp. In one embodiment, the cannabis pulp or paper product comprises about 20% v / v to about 80% v / v cannabis bast fiber pulp. In one embodiment, the cannabis pulp or paper product comprises about 20% v / v, about 25% v / v, about 30% v / v, about 35% v / v, about 40% v / v, about 45% v / v, about 50% v / v, about 55% v / v, about 60% v / v, about 65% v / v, about 70% v / v, about 75% v / v or about 80% v / v cannabis bast fiber pulp. In one embodiment, the cannabis pulp or paper product comprises at least 25% v / v, at least 50% v / v or at least 75% v / v cannabis bast fiber pulp. In one embodiment, the cannabis pulp or paper product comprises about 70% v / v cannabis bast fiber pulp and about 30% v / v cannabis wood fiber pulp.

[0165]

[0168] The brightness or color of the pulp or paper product is described elsewhere herein. In one embodiment, the cannabis pulp or paper product has a brightness of at least about 70, at least about 80, at least about 90 or greater. In one embodiment, the cannabis pulp or paper product has a brightness of about 80 to about 90.

[0166]

[0169] In one embodiment, the cannabis pulp or paper product of the present disclosure is a printed photographic paper (e.g., commercial printing paper, office paper, etc.), newsprint, paperboard, cardboard, or fine art paper.

[0167]

[0170] As described elsewhere herein, Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) is the paper industry's benchmark grade for pulp. In one embodiment, the cannabis pulp or paper products of the present disclosure are of equal or better quality than Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft.

[0168]

[0171] In one embodiment, the cannabis pulp or paper product of the present disclosure is a hemp pulp or paper product.

[0169]

[0172] The plant pulp or paper products of the present disclosure may provide several advantages. For one, in some embodiments, the plant pulp or paper products may be free of toxic chemicals and biodegradable. As mentioned above, the method of producing the plant pulp or paper products does not require the use of toxic chemicals and may be carried out using only water and optionally mild chemicals, oxygen and / or hydrogen peroxide. In contrast, pulp and paper products produced using conventional wood pulping processes often contain residual amounts of chemicals used during production, a significant amount of which is toxic to humans. For another, plant pulp or paper products may be reused up to 7 or more times before the particles become too fine to be further reused for toxic chemical-free and biodegradable, while paper products made from wood may typically only be reused about 3 times before becoming useless.

[0170]

[0173] Additionally, as previously described herein, cannabis plant material has typically been added simply as a filler to wood pulp or paper products. However, the plant pulp and paper products of the present disclosure may be produced entirely from plant material having bast and wood fibers, and thus constitute 100% w / w thereof (e.g., cannabis plant material). It is noted that in some embodiments, the paper products may be of equal or greater quality than Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK). As those skilled in the art will recognize, NBSK is the paper industry's benchmark grade for pulp. Thus, by using only plant material having bast and wood fibers, the pulp and paper products are significantly more environmentally sustainable than those produced from wood, without sacrificing the quality of the product thus obtained. For example, as discussed above, it takes approximately 1 / 20th the time to collect 100 metric tons of usable biomass of cannabis plant material from a plantation compared to 100 metric tons of usable biomass of wood. This means that while cannabis plant material can be easily replenished and pulp and paper products produced from it, in order to maintain the continuous production of pulp and paper products from wood sources, additional large areas of forest will need to be harvested while previously harvested forests regrow.

[0171]

[0174] Furthermore, with regard to environmental sustainability, surprisingly, because the plant material having bast and wood fibers as disclosed herein can be used to produce pulp or paper products without the use of environmentally harmful materials, the pulp and paper products pose much less risk of damage to the environment than those produced by conventional wood pulping processes.

[0172]

[0175] In this disclosure, all terms referred to in the singular are meant to include the plural. Similarly, all terms referred to in the plural are meant to include the singular. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. EXAMPLES

[0173] Working Example

[0176] Example 1:

[0177] A sample of cannabis plant material (hemp) was obtained and dehulled to separate the plant material into its bast and wood fiber components. Both the bast fiber (10 g; 95% purity) and wood fiber (10 g; 100% purity) materials were added to a citric acid solution (500 g / 4 L; pH 2.4) and boiled in a pressure vessel (i.e., under steam and pressure) for approximately 1 hour. The bast fiber and wood fiber material were then removed from the citric acid solution, washed, transferred to a bicarbonate solution (500 g / 4 L; pH 6.86) and boiled in a pressure vessel (i.e., under steam and pressure) for approximately 2 hours. The bast fiber and wood fiber material were removed and subjected to mechanical refining by crushing and grinding. The bast / woody biomass was then washed and boiled in a hydrogen peroxide solution for approximately 2 hours. The bast / woody biomass was then removed, washed, and dried for at least 24 hours.

[0174]

[0178] This single-stream process produced acceptable wood pulp, but transformed the bast into a brittle (breaks apart when touched) fine-grained material. Thus, a pulp slurry was produced, the characteristics of which were not ideal for various further uses.

[0175]

[0179] In other single-stream processing methods, adjustments were made to the process using both cannabis and flax plant materials. However, it was found that the methods inevitably resulted in over-processing of the bast fiber component or the wood fiber component. Pulps were obtained with bast fibers and / or wood fibers, but overall, the characteristics and profile of the bast / wood pulp were not ideal for various further applications. Through further experimentation, it was determined that a two-stream process, in which bast fibers and wood fibers, respectively, are processed in two separate processing streams, is advantageous in providing a commercially and financially viable bast / wood pulp.

[0176]

[0180] Example 2:

[0181] This example describes the separate processing of bast fiber material by different exemplary approaches.

[0177]

[0182] A sample of cannabis plant material (hemp) was obtained and dehulled to separate the plant material into its bast and wood fiber components. The bast material was used in this example.

[0178]

[0183] Trial 2A: Bast fibers were processed by a chemical (bicarbonate) process involving steam and pressure. Bast fibers (10 g; 95% purity) were added to a citric acid solution (256 g / 4 L; pH 2.4) and boiled in a pressure vessel (i.e., under steam and pressure) for approximately 2 hours. The bast fibers were then removed from the citric acid solution, washed, transferred to a bicarbonate solution (256 g / 4 L; pH 6.86) and boiled in a pressure vessel (i.e., under steam and pressure) for approximately 2 hours. The bast fibers were washed and dried for at least 24 hours to obtain bast fiber pulp.

[0179]

[0184] Trial 2B: The bast fibers were processed by a 20% reduced chemical (bicarbonate) process with steam and pressure. The bast fibers (10 g; 95% purity) were added to a citric acid solution (204 g / 4 L; pH 2.4) and boiled in a pressure vessel (i.e. under steam and pressure) for about 1 hour. The bast fibers were then removed from the citric acid solution, washed, and transferred to a bicarbonate solution (204 g / 4 L; pH 6.86) which was boiled in a pressure vessel (i.e. under steam and pressure) for about 2 hours. The bast fibers were then removed, washed, placed in a hydrogen peroxide solution, and boiled for about 2 hours. The bast fibers were washed and dried for at least 24 hours to obtain bast fiber pulp. A representative image of the bast fiber pulp prepared by this procedure is shown in FIG. 3 (Panel A) and a microscopic image (10× magnification) is shown in FIG. 3 (Panel B).

[0180]

[0185] Trial 2C: The bast fibers were processed by a chemical (bicarbonate) process with steam and pressure, but with an oxygen delignification pretreatment. The bast fibers were cut into lengths of 5-7 cm. The bast fiber material was washed, passed through a water tumbler, rinsed, and dried (retaining moisture to 10%). The bast fibers (100 g) were treated with about 5 ml of sulfur dioxide. The bast fibers were then placed in a Jaime reactor (O2 delignifier; pressure-sealed vacuum vessel), flooded with pure oxygen, and heated to about 100°C for about 30 minutes. The vessel was allowed to cool, and the bast fibers were removed and washed. The bast fibers were then transferred to a bicarbonate solution (30 g / 1 L; pH 6.86) in a pressure vessel under pressure with heating (e.g., 100°C) for about 2 hours. The bast fibers were cooled, washed, and then dried to provide a bast fiber pulp.

[0181]

[0186] Each of the procedures in this example was able to prepare a suitable bast fiber pulp for use in the blended bast / wood pulp. The bast fibers were soft fibrous pulps with good fiber length. There was no roping or slushing of the bast fibers in the bast fiber pulps produced.

[0182]

[0187] Example 3:

[0188] This example describes the separate processing of wood fiber materials by different exemplary approaches.

[0183]

[0189] A sample of cannabis plant material (hemp) was obtained and dehulled to separate the plant material into its bast fiber and wood fiber components. Wood fiber material was used in this example.

[0184]

[0190] Trial 3A: Wood fiber was processed by mechanical refining after chemical pretreatment. Wood fiber (10 g; 100% purity) was added to a citric acid solution (256 g / 4 L; pH 2.4) and boiled in a pressure vessel (i.e. under steam and pressure) for approximately 1 hour. The wood fiber was then removed from the citric acid solution, washed, transferred to a bicarbonate solution (256 g / 4 L; pH 6.86) and boiled in a pressure vessel (i.e. under steam and pressure) for approximately 2 hours. The wood fiber thus obtained was then mechanically ground using a hand grinder to form a wood fiber pulp.

[0185]

[0191] Trial 3B: Wood fiber was processed by atmospheric mechanical refining process. Wood fiber was cut into lengths of 5-7 cm. The material was washed, passed through a water tumbler, rinsed, and dried (retaining moisture up to 10%). Approximately 100 g of wood fiber was treated with approximately 5 ml of sulfur dioxide. The wood fiber was then placed in a Jaime reactor (O2 delignifier; a pressure-sealed vacuum vessel), flooded with pure oxygen, and heated to approximately 100 °C for approximately 30 minutes. The vessel was cooled, and the wood fiber was removed and washed. The wood fiber was then subjected to mechanical refining (without heat) in a mechanical mill modified with custom-made grinding plates for processing hemp wood biomass to form a wood fiber pulp.

[0186]

[0192] Example 4:

[0193] A blend of bast fiber pulp prepared according to Trial 2A and wood fiber pulp prepared according to Trial 3A was made by hand mixing the two pulp components. The blended pulp (bast / wood) was boiled in hydrogen peroxide for 1 hour and then dried. The blended pulp (bast / wood) was found to produce a soft fibrous pulp with good fiber length of the bast fibers. The wood broke apart with good shear, good fiber and good strength. Independent inspection by paper experts determined that the blended pulp was a high quality pulp product. A microscopic image (10x magnification) of a representative sample of this blended pulp is shown in Figure 4. Some woodier woody parts remained in the blended pulp, but this should be broken down in larger scale processing (e.g., industrial scale) by use of a screen (e.g., Trommel Drum Screen).

[0187]

[0194] Example 5:

[0195] In an exemplary industrial scale process, bast fiber pulp prepared according to the present disclosure (e.g., Trial 2C) and wood fiber pulp prepared according to the present disclosure (e.g., Trial 3B) are added to a blending chest in a predetermined ratio to produce a blended pulp (bast / wood). In one embodiment, the predetermined ratio is 70% v / v bast fiber pulp / 30% v / v wood fiber pulp.

[0188]

[0196] The predetermined ratio between the bast fiber pulp and the wood fiber pulp can be any suitable ratio based on the characteristics of the starting plant material and the resulting pulp (e.g., based on cellulose content). For example, the optimal amounts of each of the bast fiber pulp and the wood fiber pulp to blend and the predetermined ratio therebetween in the blended pulp can vary based on plant growth conditions (e.g., year-to-year variations, species variations, location, crop type, e.g., irrigated versus dry, etc.), which can affect, for example, the cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin content, thereby varying the predetermined fiber ratio.

[0189]

[0197] The blended pulp (bast / wood) can be used to form paper products, for example, by low temperature drying, cutting and rolling into sheets.

[0190]

[0198] As used herein, the term "about" refers to approximately a + / - 10% variation from a given value. Such a variation should be understood to be necessarily included in any given value provided herein, whether or not it is specifically referred to.

[0191]

[0199] It should also be understood that the compositions and methods may be described in terms of "comprising," "containing," or "including" various components or steps, and that the compositions and methods may "consist essentially of" or "consist of" various components and steps. Furthermore, the indefinite article "a" or "an" as used in the claims is defined herein to mean one or more of the element it introduces.

[0192]

[0200] For the sake of brevity, only certain ranges are explicitly disclosed herein. However, a range from any lower limit may be combined with any upper limit to recite a range not explicitly recited, and a range from any lower limit may be combined with any other lower limit to recite a range not explicitly recited, and similarly, a range from any upper limit may be combined with any other upper limit to recite a range not explicitly recited. Furthermore, whenever a numerical range with a lower limit and an upper limit is disclosed, any number falling within the range and any included range are specifically disclosed. In particular, all ranges of values ​​disclosed herein (in the form "about a to about b", or equivalently "about a to b", or equivalently "about a to b") are understood to describe all numbers and ranges encompassed within the broader range of values, even if not explicitly recited. Thus, every point or individual value may serve as its own lower or upper limit, combined with any other point or individual value or any other lower or upper limit, to recite a range not explicitly recited.

[0193]

[0201] Thus, the present disclosure is well adapted to achieve the objects and advantages stated, as well as those inherent therein. The specific embodiments disclosed above are merely exemplary, as the disclosure may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. Although individual embodiments are discussed, the disclosure encompasses all combinations of all such embodiments. Furthermore, no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design shown herein, other than as set forth in the claims that follow. The terms in the claims also have their plain ordinary meanings, unless expressly and clearly defined otherwise by the patent owner. It is therefore apparent that the specific exemplary embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified, and all such variations are considered to be within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. In the event of a discrepancy in the usage of a word or term in this specification and in one or more patents or other documents that may be incorporated herein by reference, the consistent definition in this specification should be adopted.

[0194]

[0202] Many obvious variations of the embodiments shown herein will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art in view of this disclosure, and these obvious variations are within the full intended scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. 1. A method for producing a pulp or paper product from a plant material having bast and wood fibers, comprising: - processing the plant wood fiber material in a first stream into a wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry; - processing the plant bast fiber material into a bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry in a second stream; - blending said wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry and said bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry to provide a blended pulp or pulp slurry; - producing said pulp or said paper product from said blended pulp or pulp slurry; wherein the first flow and the second flow are performed separately from each other.

2. and / or wherein the processing of the plant wood fiber material in the first stream into the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry comprises mechanical refining; and / or processing the plant bast fiber material in the second stream into the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry includes steam and pressure refining the plant bast fiber material. The method of claim 1.

3. - peeling a plant material having bast fibers and wood fibers to separate and provide said plant bast fiber material and said plant wood fiber material; - mechanically refining the plant wood fiber material in the first stream to form the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry; - steam and pressure refining the plant bast fiber material in the second stream to form the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry; - blending the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry to form the blended pulp or pulp slurry; - producing said pulp or said paper product from said blended pulp or pulp slurry; The method of claim 1 , comprising:

4. 4. The method of claim 2 or 3, wherein the mechanical refining of the plant wood fiber material in the first stream is atmospheric mechanical refining.

5. 5. The method of claim 2, wherein the first stream comprises a wood pre-treatment step in which the plant wood fiber material is subjected to one or both of a chemical treatment or oxygen delignification of the first stream, followed by said mechanical refining.

6. The wood pretreatment is by oxygen delignification of the first stream, and the plant wood fiber material is treated with O ２ 6. The method of claim 5, comprising heating in a pressure vessel in the presence of, optionally treating the plant wood fiber material with sulfur dioxide, sodium hydroxide or citric acid prior to oxygen delignification of the first stream.

7. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the wood pre-treatment is by chemical treatment and comprises heating the plant wood fiber material in the presence of citric acid, sulfur dioxide, sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide, sodium bicarbonate or any combination thereof together or separately, preferably comprising heating the plant wood material in a citric acid solution followed by heating the plant wood material in a sodium bicarbonate solution.

8. 8. The method of any one of claims 4 to 7, further comprising: following said mechanical refining, performing cyclone separation in the absence of steam on said first stream to provide said wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry.

9. Forming the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry in the first stream comprises: - carrying out said wood pre-treatment step; - washing and screening the plant wood fibre material; - carrying out said mechanical refining; - carrying out cyclone separation in the absence of steam; - removing and screening latent material to form said wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry; The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, comprising:

10. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 9, wherein the steam and pressure refining in the second stream comprises one or more steps of chemical pulping of the plant bast fiber material.

11. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more steps of chemical pulping comprise heating the plant bast fiber material under steam and pressure conditions in the presence of citric acid, sulfur dioxide, sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide, sodium bicarbonate or any combination thereof together or separately, preferably comprising heating the plant bast material in a citric acid solution followed by heating the plant wood material in a sodium bicarbonate solution, both under steam and pressure conditions.

12. 12. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 11, wherein the second stream comprises a bast pre-treatment step, in which the plant bast fiber material is subjected to oxygen delignification of the second stream, followed by steam and pressure refining.

13. The oxygen delignification of the second stream converts the plant bast fiber material into O ２ 13. The method of claim 12, comprising heating in a pressure vessel in the presence of, optionally comprising treating the plant wood fiber material with sulfur dioxide, sodium hydroxide or citric acid prior to oxygen delignification of the second stream.

14. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 13, further comprising a steam separation step in a cyclone to remove steam from the plant bast fiber material after the steam and pressure refining.

15. The forming of the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry includes - carrying out said bast pre-treatment step; - washing and screening the plant bast fiber material; - pre-treating the washed plant bast fiber material with steam; - performing said steam and pressure purification; - carrying out a steam separation step in a cyclone to remove said steam and said steam from the pressure purification; - removing latent and screening to form said bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry. The method of claim 12 or 13, comprising:

16. 16. The method of any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the blending of the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry occurs in a blending chest, which mixes the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry into a substantially uniform mixture to provide the blended pulp or pulp slurry.

17. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the substantially homogenous mixture is subjected to one or more of a blended pulp oxygen delignification step and a blended pulp latency and screening step to provide the blended pulp or pulp slurry.

18. The method of any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein producing the pulp or paper product from the blended pulp or pulp slurry comprises one or more steps of washing, dewatering and drying.

19. The blended pulp or pulp slurry is and / or comprising a ratio of wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry:bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry of 5:1 to 1:5 on a volume / volume (v / v) basis; the blended pulp or pulp slurry comprises about 20% v / v to about 80% v / v of the wood fiber pulp slurry and is made up to 100% with the bast fiber pulp slurry; and / or the blended pulp or pulp slurry comprising about 70% v / v of the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry and about 30% v / v of the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry; 19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

20. 20. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the plant material having bast and wood fibres is cannabis, flax, sunn hemp, kenaf, mulberry or mitsumata plant material.

21. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the cannabis plant material is hemp.

22. 1. A method for producing a pulp or paper product from cannabis plant material, comprising: - dehulling cannabis plant material to remove cannabis plant bast fibre material therefrom and to provide cannabis plant wood fibre material; - atmospheric mechanical refining of said cannabis plant wood fiber material to form a wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry; - steam and pressure refining the cannabis plant bast fiber material to form a bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry; - blending the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the wood fiber pulp or pulp slurry to form a blended pulp or pulp slurry; - Producing said pulp or said paper product from said blended pulp slurry; The method includes:

23. 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the cannabis plant material is hemp.

24. A pulp or paper product produced by the method of any one of claims 1 to 23.

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