Patent ID: 7297225

Claim:
A process for bleaching cellulosic pulp, comprising: providing a stream of cellulosic pulp; adding to the stream of cellulosic pulp at least one composition for bleaching; bleaching the stream of cellulosic pulp in a pressure vessel at a temperature at or above about 212° F. and the atmospheric flash point of the cellulosic pulp to form a stream of bleached cellulosic pulp; cooling the stream of bleached cellulosic pulp prior to discharge from the pressure vessel by adding at least a portion of a cooled filtrate stream to the stream of bleached cellulosic pulp to form a cooled stream of bleached cellulosic pulp that is at a temperature below the atmospheric flash point of the bleached cellulosic pulp, dewatering the cooled stream of bleached cellulosic pulp to obtain a bleached cellulosic pulp residue stream and a hot filtrate stream; and forming the cooled filtrate stream by cooling the hot filtrate stream.