Bleaching of wood pulp is the chemical processing carried out on various types of wood pulp to decrease the color of the pulp, so that it becomes whiter. The main use of wood pulp is to make paper where whiteness (similar to but not exactly the same as "brightness") is an important characteristic.[1] The processes and chemistry described in this article are also applicable to the bleaching of non-wood pulps, such as those made from bamboo or kenaf.
Paper pulp bleaching
White paper, such as copy paper, is all around us. Since the bleaching process that uses hydrogen peroxide to bleach paper and pulp instead of chlorine gas was introduced, demand for hydrogen peroxide has soared. Hydrogen peroxide is also used in a number of other applications, including industrial oxidation, cleaning in the semiconductor manufacturing process, and pollution/waste water remediation, etc.