Alkaline pulping must remove enough lignin to separate wood fibers while preserving the cellulose and hemicelluloses needed for pulp yield and quality. Anthraquinone (AQ) has served as an important cooking additive because its redox cycle can promote delignification and stabilize carbohydrates. However, concerns about potential carcinogenicity and impurities in commercial products have renewed interest in alternative compounds.
In a mini-review published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts , Peifu Kong examines whether quinones from teak ( Tectona grandis ) wood could provide another option. The review covers 19 scholarly publications, comparing synthetic AQ derivatives with teak extracts and individual teak-derived compounds, including 2-methylanthraquinone (2-MAQ), deoxylapachol and lapachol.
Several studies summarized in the review report encouraging results under specific laboratory cooking conditions. In eucalyptus kraft pulping, Myanmar teak extract reduced the kappa number—a measure associated with residual lignin—by approximately five to six points and increased pulp yield by about two percentage points compared with cooking without the additive. Other studies found that deoxylapachol promoted delignification, while lapachol reduced the active alkali requirement estimated for reaching a target kappa number in a particular kraft-pulping system.
The results also reveal substantial differences between compounds and extracts. Their effects depend on the wood feedstock, cooking chemistry, additive concentration, extraction method and chemical composition. Improvements in delignification or yield alone do not establish overall performance; pulp viscosity, brightness, carbohydrate retention and compatibility with mill operations also matter.
Safety remains a central concern. Although some studies reported low residual levels and negative Ames-test results for purified 2-MAQ under the conditions tested, these findings do not establish comprehensive toxicological or food-contact safety. Some crude teak extracts showed mutagenic responses in laboratory tests, underscoring the need to evaluate extracts separately from purified compounds.
The review concludes that teak-derived quinones are promising candidates, rather than ready-to-use replacements for AQ. Progress will require standardized extract composition, more comprehensive safety and residue testing, scalable recovery methods, independent replication and pilot-scale validation. Their potential environmental and economic benefits also remain to be demonstrated through process-level assessment.
See the article:
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobab.2026.100303
Original Source URL
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2369969826000757
Journal
Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts
Literature review
Not applicable
From anthraquinone to teak wood quinones: Redox additive candidates for alkaline pulping
10-Oct-2026