EP1070784A1 - Adjuvant and process for cleaning and bleaching of cellulosic pulp - Google Patents

Abstract

Use is claimed of compounds or block copolymers containing oxyethylene together with oxypropylene or oxybutylene units in treating cellulose pulps to bleach them and/or to separate out unwanted components. Use is claimed of compounds or block copolymers of formula RO(CmH2mO)x-(CnH2nO)y-H (I), RO((CnH2nO)y-(CmH2mO)x-H (II) or RO(CmH2mO)x/(CnH2nO)y-H (III) in treating cellulose pulps to bleach them and/or to separate out unwanted components. R = 13-24C aliphatic hydrocarbyl; m = 2; n = 3 or 4; x = 1-20; and y = 1-14.

Description

worin R für einen aliphatischen Kohlenwasserstoffrest mit 13 bis 24, vorzugsweise 13 bis 18 C-Atomen steht, m die Zahl 2 und n die Zahlen 3 oder 4 bedeutet, x für eine Zahl von 1 bis 20 und y für eine Zahl von 1 bis 14 steht, als Hilfsmittel bei der Behandlung von Zellulose-Pulpe zum Zweck der Abtrennung unerwünschter Begleitstoffe und/oder zum Zweck des Bleichens. Die Erfindung betrifft ferner Zubereitungen dieser Hilfsmittel sowie ein Verfahren zum Reinigen und/oder Bleichen von Zellulose-Pulpe unter Einsatz dieser Hilfsmittel.

The present invention relates to the use of compounds of the formulas I and / or II and / or III RO- (C _m H _2m O) _x - (C _n H _2n O) _y -H RO- (C _n H _2n O) _y - (C _m H _2m O) _x -H RO - [(C _m H _2m O) _x / (C _n H _2n O) _y ] -H

where R is an aliphatic hydrocarbon radical having 13 to 24, preferably 13 to 18, carbon atoms, m is the number 2 and n is the number 3 or 4, x is a number from 1 to 20 and y is a number from 1 to 14 stands as an aid in the treatment of cellulose pulp for the purpose of separating unwanted accompanying substances and / or for the purpose of bleaching. The invention further relates to preparations of these aids and a method for cleaning and / or bleaching cellulose pulp using these aids.

Pulp is a soft, fibrous mass of partially degraded cellulose, which in many areas of technology are used in very large quantities. cellulose is used for example for the production of paper, man-made fibers (acetate silk) as Filling and reinforcement material in plastics and for the production of many industrial aids. World pulp production in 1995 was approximately 138 million Metric tons. The vast majority of the pulp is used for paper production needed. Pulp is preferably made from wood, but also from straw and other agricultural waste products containing cellulose by separation of cellulose from those contained in the vegetable raw material Accompanying substances won.

To produce the wood pulp, it is first shredded and the Schnitzel in a pressure cooker, the so-called digester, at approx. 130 to 150 ° C Sodium hydroxide solution and sodium sulfide or treated with alkali hydrogen sulfite solution to lignin and other tarry or resinous macromolecular ingredients of the Break down wood and so into a water-soluble or at least dispersible Convince form.

In this process, pulp fiber is mixed as a solid phase with a black one Receive liquid from which it is separated by the so-called brown-stock washing becomes. As a rule, this washing operation is carried out in several successive steps switched rotary drum washers in which the mass countercurrent several times washed out with water and between washing operations is sucked dry, so that at the beginning of the car wash a highly concentrated, aqueous waste liquor and at the end of the car wash it is as low in tar and lignin as possible Raw pulp is obtained.

In most cases, the purity of the raw pulp is not sufficient for the technical Further processing. As a rule, he will undergo another cleaning operation, subjected to the so-called pulp bleaching, the aim of which is resins, fatty acids and to eliminate triterpenes from the pulp to prevent formation sticky impurities and deposits in paper production so low remains as possible. In pulp bleaching, the natural, resinous impurities that are mostly unsaturated in their molecules Have groups due to the action of oxidizing agents in compounds transferred that are more soluble or at least more dispersible in water are considered the original contaminants and thus by alkaline media can be extracted better.

In technology, chlorine, chlorine dioxide, peroxides, such as peroxodisulfate and peroxomonosulfuric acid, or oxygen and ozone used.

It is common in the pulp manufacturing steps described above Use tools that have very different tasks. So can for example according to EP-B-0631 010 for brown stock washing Removal of lignin and digestion chemicals can be facilitated when the washing or digestion operation polyalkoxy alkyl, aryl or aralkyl sulfates be added.

According to EP-A-0 709 521, the washing effect in brown stock washing can can be improved in that alkoxylated alkyl or alkylarylcarboxylic acids or carboxamides in combination with defoamers uses, which reduce the water retention of the Lead pulp cake.

From US-A-3,909,345 it is known to digest the wood in the digester Presence of block alkoxylated di to hexahydroxy compounds, e.g. Glycols (diols), glycerin, sorbitol, hexitol or of block alkoxylated amines or to carry out polyamines. This should increase the pulp yield result without the brightness or the strength of the pulp fibers worsened.

From the Derwent abstract of JP-A-05 186 987 it is known to bleach cellulose pulp in the presence of alkoxylated polyhydroxy compounds, such as ethylene glycol, butanediol, glycerol, pyrogallol, or of polyalkoxylated aliphatic, saturated monovalent C ₁ to C ₁₀ - Alcohols to achieve a high bleaching effect without reducing the strength of the pulp fibers.

From the Derwent abstract of JA-71 24 721-R it is known to carry out the bleaching of cellulose pulp in the presence of compounds of the formula AO- (RO) _m (C ₂ H ₄ O) _n H, where A is an aromatic Radical or a C ₅ to C ₇ alkylene radical, and RC ₃ to C ₄ alkylene. The addition is intended to help avoid problems with sticky deposits (pitch) without foaming. Compounds of this formula in which A is the residue of an aliphatic C ₁ to C ₄ alcohol are also recommended for the same purpose in Japanese publication JA 76 031 283. Due to the high water solubility and the correlating low interfacial activity, such compounds with a short alkyl chain are not suitable for removing organic contaminants.

According to JP-A-05 051 889 (Derwent quote) the addition of a combination of non-ionic detergents and EDTA in cellulose pulp bleaching into one Reduce the amount of wastewater. As non-ionic detergents are polyalkoxylated alcohols, and polyalkoxylates of esters higher fatty acids or sorbitol fatty acid esters.

According to JP-A-50 101 602 (CA citation) mixtures of a) adducts of primary or secondary C ₉ to C ₂₂ alcohols with 6 to 15 moles of ethylene oxide and b) polyethylene polypropylene glycol alkyl ethers in a mixing ratio of 98: 2 to 70:30 used as a dispersant in the manufacture of pulp fibers with a low resin content.

EP-A-0 177 113 relates to a process for removing raw pulp from the residues of cooking chemicals contained therein. In this method, a fiber mat is formed from the pulp, into and through which a dispersant solution is pressed. A combination of a nonionic substituted oxyethylene glycol and a low molecular weight polyelectrolyte is used as the dispersant. R (Ar) _a - (OC ₂ H ₄ ) _n - (OC ₃ H ₆ ) _m -Y, where a is 0 or 1, Ar is a mononuclear aromatic radical, R is a saturated aliphatic group with more than 6, is preferably used as the nonionic agent Is C atoms. n is a number from 3 to 50, m is a number from 0 to 50. Maleic acid-vinyl acetate copolymers or polyacrylates with molecular weights of 500 to 25,000 are used as polyelectrolytes.

In WO 82/00039 it is proposed to use nonionic surface-active agents which contain ethylene and propylene oxide blocks and which have a hydrophobic end group and a hydroxyl end group as defoamers in pulp and paper manufacture. The ethylene oxide blocks contain 3 to 20 EO units, the propylene oxide blocks 15 to 60 PO units, and the hydrophobic radical can be C ₆ to C ₁₈ alkylphenyl or C ₆ to C ₁₈ alkyl.

WO 97/06304 discloses a two-stage process for bleaching cellulose pulp, in which the first stage uses chlorine-containing bleaching agents and the second stage uses oxygen or peroxides, with compounds of the formulas 1 and 2 being used in the second stage and / or 3 R ¹ -O - [(C ₂ H ₄ O) _m / (AO) _n ] -H R ² -O [(C ₂ H ₄ O) _m / (AO) _p ] - (AO) _q -H (R ³ ) _i -X - [(C ₂ H ₄ O) _m / (AO) _p ] - (AO) _r -H be added. The additions mean that in the first stage of the process it is possible to work with smaller amounts of the chlorine-containing bleaching agent and that in the oxygen bleaching stage there are fewer defoamers.

In the formulas, R ¹ denotes branched C ₆ to C ₁₂ alkyl, A propylene, butylene or phenylethylene, R ² optionally branched C ₆ to C ₁₂ alkyl, R ³ H, methyl, ethyl or branched C ₃ to C ₁₂ alkyl, and X Phenyl. m stands for a number from 4 to 15, n for 0 to 4, p for 0 to 3.9, q for 0.1 to 4, t for 1 to 5 and r for 0 to 4. The adducts in the square brackets can have a statistical or block structure.

The known surfactants used as aids in pulp production The base of alkoxylated alkanols have a number of disadvantages. So are in particular the physical and application properties, such as Surface tension, wetting and foaming behavior and in particular a favorable combination of these properties in terms of application technology, which leads to a reduction in the extract substances in wood and pulp, in need of improvement. The known agents usually have a relatively high level Ecotoxicological hazard potential, especially against aquatic ones Organisms, on.

The object of the present invention was therefore to provide surfactants for use in To provide pulp bleaching that no longer has the disadvantages described at least to a significantly reduced extent.

worin R für einen aliphatischen Kohlenwasserstoffrest mit 13 bis 24, vorzugsweise 13 bis 18, C-Atomen steht,

m für die Zahl 2 und n für die Zahlen 3 oder 4 steht,

x unabhängig von y für eine Zahl von 1 bis 20 steht,

y unabhängig von x für eine Zahl von 1 bis 14, vorzugsweise für eine Zahl kleiner als 10 steht,

als Hilfsmittel bei der Behandlung von Zellulose-Pulpe zum Zweck der Abtrennung unerwünschter Begleitstoffe und/oder zum Zweck des Bleichens. The object is achieved by using compounds of the formulas I and / or II and / or III RO- (C _m H _2m O) _x - (C _n H _2n O) _y -H RO- (C _n H _2n O) _y - (C _m H _2m O) _x -H RO - [(C _m H _2m O) _x / (C _n H _2n O) _y ] -H

in which R represents an aliphatic hydrocarbon radical having 13 to 24, preferably 13 to 18, carbon atoms,

m stands for the number 2 and n for the numbers 3 or 4,

x is a number from 1 to 20 regardless of y,

y is independently of x a number from 1 to 14, preferably a number less than 10,

as an aid in the treatment of cellulose pulp for the purpose of removing unwanted accompanying substances and / or for the purpose of bleaching.

In the compounds of the formula III, the members —C _m H _2m O— and —C _n H _2n O- indicated in the square brackets can be distributed randomly or in blocks.

The numerical values x and y indicate the degree of alkoxylation of the compound R-OH on. They provide mean values from all individual compounds contained in a substance sample Therefore, they do not necessarily have to be whole numbers his.

The aliphatic hydrocarbon radical R is expediently free from double bonds, thus represents an alkyl radical. This can be linear or branched his. Preferred are branched radicals R with 1 to 4, preferably 3 or 4, Branching points. Preferred, at the branching points on the main chain bonded substituents are alkyl groups with 1 to 4 carbon atoms, in particular Methyl and ethyl.

The radicals R are often a mixture of alkyl chains with different number of carbon atoms and / or of alkyl chains with the same Number, but different arrangement of the C atoms, i.e. of isomers Alkyl chains. In particular, branched radicals R are generally in the form of mixtures different isomers and / or homologues.

Examples of such mixtures which are advantageous for technical and / or economic reasons are mixtures of C ₁₆ and C ₁₈ alcohols, mixtures of C ₁₃ and C ₁₅ alcohols, mixtures of C ₁₄ and C ₁₅ alcohols and, particularly preferred , Mixtures of isomeric C ₁₃ alcohols.

A particularly preferred alcohol mixture called iso-tridecanol (iso-tridecyl alcohol) is of synthetic origin and is prepared in a known manner by oligomerizing suitable lower olefin building blocks and subsequent oxosynthesis (hydroformylation). To produce this alcohol mixture, for example, isobutylene, 1-butylene, 2-butylene or mixtures thereof can be trimerized catalytically, tetramerized propylene or dimerized 2-methyl-1-pentene catalytically. The C ₁₂ olefins obtainable in this way are then converted to the homologous C ₁₃ alcohols, for example using CO and H ₂ on a suitable catalyst.

As can be seen from formulas I, II and III, the one bound to R. Polyether chain from blocks of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide or Butylene oxide residues consist of or from a statistical arrangement of these different links. In the block arrangement, either the Ethylene oxide block directly at R-O-, and the propylene oxide or Butylene oxide block bound to the ethylene oxide block, or vice versa the propylene oxide or butylene oxide block directly at R-O, the ethylene oxide block then be bound to the propylene oxide or butylene oxide block.

This arrangement achieves a particularly favorable amphiphile value, which has the consequence that when bleaching pulp, the foaming is kept within limits and thus trouble-free, comfortable work is possible and that at the same time a surprisingly good extraction of the pulp impurities is achieved. Because of their good dispersing and wetting properties facilitate the properties used according to the invention Compounds of the formulas I and / or II and / or III the detachment or Extraction of the pulp impurities from or from the pulp mass and effectively prevent redeposition of impurities on the pulp mass and on device parts during the extraction process. Furthermore was surprisingly found that the pulp fibers by using the Compounds of the formulas I and / or II and / or III are not damaged.

The compounds of the formulas I and / or II to be used according to the invention and / or III are readily biodegradable and largely toxicologically harmless.

The preparation of the compounds of the formulas to be used according to the invention I, II and III are carried out in a manner known per se in two steps by implementation of hydroxy compounds of the formula R-OH, either first with the desired molar amount of ethylene oxide and then with the desired Amount of propylene or butylene oxide, or initially with the desired amount Propylene or butylene oxide, and then with the desired molar amount Ethylene oxide, or by simultaneous reaction of the hydroxy compounds Formula R-OH with the desired amounts of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide or Butylene oxide.

The alkoxylation is expediently catalyzed by basic or neutral catalysts, such as, for example, alkali or alkaline earth metal hydroxides, alkali metal alcoholates or compounds with a layered lattice, for example modified hydrotalcite or bentonite, which are generally in an amount of 0.1 to 1% by weight. , based on the amount of OH groups, are added. It is also advisable to carry out the addition reaction at temperatures from about 70 to about 220 ° C., preferably from 90 to 150 ° C., in a closed vessel. In addition, it is very expedient to work without water in order to avoid the formation of large proportions of undesirable by-products. (See, e.g., G. Gee et al., J. Chem. Soc. (1961), p. 1345; B. Wojtech, Makromol. Chem. 66 , (1966), p. 180) If desired, the alkylene oxide can be mixed with an inert gas be diluted in order to achieve additional security against explosive polyaddition of the connection.

The use of such starting compounds is technically particularly expedient R-OH, which can be prepared by oxosynthesis of olefins, the in turn by dimerization, trimerization or tetramerization of Olefins with 7 to 3 carbon atoms can be obtained.

Examples of such compounds of the formula R-OH, which are suitable for the preparation of active ingredients of the formulas I, II and III to be used according to the invention are suitable are alkanols with 3 to 4 branches on which in particular methyl or Ethyl groups are bound, such as 2,4,6,8-tetramethyl-nonanol-1, 3,4,6,8-tetramethyl-nonanol-1 or 5-ethyl-4,7-dimethyl-nonanol-1.

The compounds of the formulas I and / or II to be used according to the invention and / or III are the aqueous bleaching liquors in a relatively small amount of 0.02 to 1% by weight, preferably 0.05 to 0.5% by weight, based on the weight added to the pulp mass to be bleached.

Individual compounds of the formulas I and / or II and / or III can be added. However, it is usually application-technically and economically more advantageous, mixtures of several To use compounds of these formulas, especially mixtures such as in their manufacture from technically easily accessible starting materials attack.

In addition, other bleaching liquors from the prior art are used in technology Bleaching technology known additives, such as Wetting agents, emulsifiers, Solubilizers, oxidation catalysts and activators, soil release agents, Adsorbents and the like. Added. It has therefore proven to be useful To prepare preparations of the compounds to be used according to the invention, the known auxiliary agents and additives for pulp bleaching and one proportion of the compounds of the formulas I suitable for convenient dosing and / or II and / or III included. These preparations expediently contain 1 to 50% by weight, preferably 5 to 40% by weight, in particular 10 to 30 wt .-%, based on the total weight of the preparation, active ingredients of the Formulas I and / or II and / or III.

These preparations, which are also an object of the present invention have the further advantage that they are easy in the aqueous bleaching solutions and can be evenly distributed without their machine help what their Application significantly simplified. This turns out to be another practical one Advantage of the compounds of formula I that they with the other additives Bleaching liquors are extremely well tolerated.

The wetting agents contained in the preparations serve to achieve a uniform wetting and penetration of the pulp fibers with the bleaching liquor. Nonionic surfactants, ethoxylation products of fatty alcohol or fatty amine mixtures with 10 to 18 carbon atoms with 5 to 20, preferably 8 to 15, moles of ethylene oxide are particularly suitable. Addition products of on average about 12 ethylene oxide units to fatty amines consisting essentially of C ₁₂ to C ₁₄ components (coconut fatty amine) are particularly preferred. Further wetting agents suitable for the use according to the invention are, for example, tetraalkylammonium compounds with at least one long-chain (C ₈ to C ₂₅ ) and, preferably, at least one short-chain (C ₁ to C ₄ ) alkyl radical, and 1- (hydroxy or amino lower alkyl) -2-higher alkyl imidazolines, in which the lower alkyl groups have 2 to 4 carbon atoms and the higher alkyl groups have 10 to 25 carbon atoms, C ₈ -C ₂₂ alkyl ester quats, C ₈ -C ₂₅ alkyl-substituted amines and oligoamines with 2 - 4 amino groups.

Emulsifiers serve the active ingredients used according to the invention Formulas I and / or II and / or III in the preparations according to the invention distribute evenly and the emulsions and dispersions obtained over stabilize for a long time and also at low and high temperatures. For ethoxylation products of fatty alcohols are particularly suitable for this purpose or fatty amine mixtures with 10 to 18 carbon atoms with average 2 to 5, preferably 2 to 3, moles of ethylene oxide and salts, in particular formates or acetates of these alkoxylated amines, furthermore aromatic alkoxylates e.g. alkoxylated p-nonylphenol with 2-4 ethylene oxide units.

Also suitable as wetting agents and emulsifiers are, for example, alkoxylated C ₁₀ -C ₂₅ fatty or oxo alcohols which are obtained by reacting the alcohols with 1 to 5 moles of ethylene oxide and / or 1 to 10 moles of propylene oxide and / or 1 to 5 moles of butylene oxide. Block polymers of propylene oxide and / or butylene oxide and ethylene oxide with a proportion of ethylene oxide units of less than 30% by weight are also suitable.

The water-miscible solvents contained in the preparations serve as Solubilizers, occasionally also "coupling agents" or "solubilizers" called. They stabilize and contribute to the preparations according to the invention when precipitating them with water on the To prevent application concentration. They support the effect of the Emulsifiers. They also serve to adjust the viscosity of the preparations. Suitable solubilizers are e.g. water-soluble glycols, polyglycols, Monoalkyl glycols, monoalkyl polyglycols, dialkyl glycols or Dialkyl polyglycols, the polyglycols containing 2 to 10 ethylene oxide, propylene oxide and / or Statistical or block-wise distribution of butylene oxide units can contain and the alkyl groups have 1 to 6 carbon atoms. Further Examples of such solubilizers are low molecular weight alkanols or Alkanediols, preferably with 1 to 6 carbon atoms, their lower alkyl carboxylic acid esters or glycol monoethers such as ethanol, propanol, Isopropanol, isobutanol, glycol, diglycol, monobutyl glycol or monobutyl diglycol, Propylene glycol monobutyl ether, and n- or iso-butyl acetate.

Mono-C ₁ to C ₄ -alkyl glycols, in particular monobutyl glycol, are preferably used as solubilizers.

Another object of the present invention is also a bleaching and Cleaning process for cellulose pulp, in which the pulp is known per se Way in aqueous alkaline medium at elevated temperature with oxidizing agents is treated, according to the invention in the presence of 0.02 to 1 % By weight, based on the dry weight of the cellulose, of one or more of the Compounds of formulas I and / or II and / or III is worked.

The following embodiment illustrates the invention.

example 1

Temperatur:

90°C

Dauer:

60 min.

Stoffdichte:

10% (d.h. Flotte zu Zellstoff 9:1)

Zellstoffmenge:

120 g

NaOH:

1,72 Gew.-%, bez. auf Zellstoff

Tensid:

0,1 Gew.-%, bez. auf Zellstoff

Sauerstoff:

4 bar.

120 g of absolutely dry (drying at 105 ° C. to constant weight) unbleached cellulose are in a pressure-resistant reactor with a mixture of water, NaOH and a surfactant of the formula to be used according to the invention iC ₁₃ H ₂₇ O- (C ₂ H ₄ O) ₆ - (C ₃ H ₆ O) ₃ -H added and after closing the reactor with oxygen. The pH during bleaching is 11.5. The other conditions can be found in the following list:

Temperature:

90 ° C

Duration:

60 min.

Fabric density:

10% (ie liquor to pulp 9: 1)

Quantity of pulp:

120 g

NaOH:

1.72% by weight, on pulp

Surfactant:

0.1% by weight, on pulp

Oxygen:

4 bar.

Comparative example 1a

Example 1 is repeated with the difference that the bleaching liquor is none Surfactant is added.

The surfactant used according to the invention in the example was as follows manufactured:

200 g of i-tridecanol (1 mol) together with 0.2 g are placed in an autoclave KOH presented as an alkoxylation catalyst. Be at 110 to 120 ° C continuously gassed 264 g of ethylene oxide (6 mol). To complete the The reaction is stirred for 1 hour at the same temperature. Then at 130 to 140 ° C 174 g of propylene oxide (3 mol) added. Then leave 2 React for an hour at this temperature. 638 g of that in Example 1 are obtained surfactant used.

Analysis of the test results The pulp samples obtained in Experiments 1 and 1a are as follows analyzed:

The acetone-soluble portions of the pulp sample are based on ISO 14453 using a semi-automatic extractor (VELP Scientifica, type SER 148) extracted. After the acetone has been evaporated off, the extract substances are mixed with sodium methylate transesterified in methanolic solution, with sodium dihydrogen phosphate acidified and extracted with methyl t-butyl ether. After that, the Extracts esterified with diazomethane and silylated in the presence of pyridine. The Analysis is carried out using capillary gas chromatography (GC / FID).

The analysis results are summarized in the following table: The extract content in the pulp is given in [mg / kg pulp]; percentages of extract substance in brackets, based on the amount originally contained in the pulp. Extract Unbleached sample Reference without surfactant According to the invention with iC ₁₃ (EO) ₆ (PO) ₃ Palmitic acid 627 (100%) 97 (15%) 55 (10%) Linoleic acid 3077 (100%) 75 (2.5%) 33 (1%) Stearic acid 357 (100%) 64 (18%) 43 (12%) Nonadecanoic acid 36 (100%) 10 (28%) 5 (14%) Arachic acid 195 (100%) 33 (17%) 7 (3%) Heneicosanoic acid 52 (100%) 13 (25%) 6 (11%) Isopimaric acid 682 (100%) 32 (5%) 0 (0%) Neoabietic acid 208 (100%) 29 (14%) 20 (10%) Campesterol 17 (100%) 10 (59%) 0 (0%) Betulin (triterpene) 4039 (100%) 772 (19%) 497 (12%)

Claims (9)

Use of compounds of the formulas I and / or II and / or III RO- (C _m H _2m O) _x - (C _n H _2n O) _y -H RO- (C _n H _2n O) _y - (C _m H _2m O) _x -H RO - [(C _m H _2m O) _x / (C _n H _2n O) _y ] -H where R represents an aliphatic hydrocarbon radical having 13 to 24 carbon atoms, m stands for the number 2 and n for the numbers 3 or 4, x is a number from 1 to 20 regardless of y, y is a number from 1 to 14 regardless of x, as an aid in the treatment of cellulose pulp for the purpose of removing unwanted accompanying substances and / or for the purpose of bleaching. Use according to claim 1, characterized in that one or several compounds of the formulas I and / or II and / or III are used in which the aliphatic hydrocarbon radical R is free of Is double bonds. Use according to at least one of claims 1 and 2 thereby characterized in that one or more compounds of the formulas I and / or II and / or III is used, in which the aliphatic Hydrocarbon radical R is branched. Use according to at least one of claims 1 to 3 thereby characterized in that one or more compounds of the formulas I and / or II and / or III is used, in which the aliphatic hydrocarbon radical R 1 to 4, preferably 3 or 4, branching points, having. Use according to at least one of claims 1 to 4 thereby characterized in that one or more compounds of the formulas I and / or II and / or III is used, in which those at the branching points substituents attached to the main chain with alkyl groups 1 to 4 carbon atoms, especially methyl and ethyl. Bleaching and extraction aid preparation consisting of a bleaching and extraction aid and other additives known from the prior art, such as wetting agents, emulsifiers, solubilizers, oxidation catalysts and activators, soil release agents, adsorbents, characterized in that they are a bleaching and extraction aid or more compounds of the formulas I and / or II and / or III RO- (C _m H _2m O) _x - (C _n H _2n O) _y -H RO- (C _n H _2n O) _y - (C _m H _2m O) _x -H RO - [(C _m H _2m O) _x / (C _n H _2n O) _y ] -H wherein m, n, x and y have the meanings given in claim 1. Preparation according to claim 6, characterized in that it the Compound (s) of the formulas I and / or II and / or III in an amount of 1 to 50% by weight, preferably 5 to 40% by weight, in particular 10 to 30 % By weight, based on the total weight of the preparation, contains. Bleaching and cleaning process for cellulose pulp, in which the pulp is treated in a manner known per se in an alkaline aqueous medium at elevated temperature with oxidizing agents, characterized in that the treatment in the presence of 0.02 to 1% by weight, based on the dry weight of the cellulose, one or more compounds of the formulas I and / or II and / or III RO- (C _m H _2m O) _x - (C _n H _2n O) _y -H RO- (C _n H _2n O) _y - (C _m H _2m O) _x -H RO - [(C _m H _2m O) _x / (C _n H _2n O) _y ] -H wherein m, n, x and y have the meanings given in claim 1, takes place. Process according to Claim 8, characterized in that the treatment in the presence of 0.05 to 0.5% by weight, based on the dry weight of the cellulose, of one or more compounds of the formula (s) I and / or II and / or III
he follows.