This unit’s mission
is to (1) develop environmentally benign and resource-conserving
processes for the production and utilization of wood pulp fibers
and chemical byproducts of wood and pulp processing and (2) improve
the understanding of the molecular and physical characteristics
of wood and wood pulp. This research is aimed at achieving a
sustainable basis for the production of pulp and paper products
to meet the needs of the American people. This is accomplished
by developing new, environmentally friendly ways to delignify
wood for the production of pulp; by developing the chemical information
needed to improve the papermaking properties of high yield pulps
so they can be substituted for low yield pulps; and by developing
an understanding of biogenesis and molecular architecture of
wood cell walls and their response to processing and environmental
stresses for the purpose of using uneven-age mixed species for
pulping and of increasing the efficiency of converting this material
to pulp.