Stabilisation of kraft lignin solutions by surfactant additions

The colloidal stability of kraft lignin (KL) and some various KL–surfactant mixtures in aqueous alkaline solutions, pH 10.0–11.50, was tuned and investigated at high ionic strengths, 0.5–1.1 M, and elevated temperatures, 70 and 150 °C. The main techniques used were Quasi-Elastic Light-Scattering (QELS) and turbidity measurements, together with sample inspection by the naked eye. Samples without surfactant additions and samples containing various alkyl sulfonates showed a comparably low colloidal stability, whereas in mixtures containing sodium salts of bile acids, the stability was found greatly improved. The efficiency of different bile salts was investigated and it was found that the overall best solution stability is obtained in mixtures of KL and sodium taurodeoxycholate (STDC). STDC showed a relatively good stabilising effect also at very high temperatures (150 °C). Furthermore, in already aggregated KL solutions, additions of STDC were found to cause ‘de-aggregation’ and the number of formed aggregates was dramatically decreased. From the outcome of the investigation, it can be concluded that by introducing surfactants, and maybe other designed additives too, new possibilities in controlling the colloidal stability of KL at rough solution conditions are given.