The Kraft process is the most widely used chemical process for the removal of lignin and other polymers from wood to obtain cellulosic pulp fibres. In the present study, the effect of cavitation (growth and violent collapse of vapour bubbles in a liquid) on delignification of wood was investigated. Steam was introduced in the reactor in order to study the effect of steam driven hybrid cavitation on delignification. The results obtained were subjected to kinetic analysis. The rates of delignification obtained using hydrodynamic cavitation were about 4-5 orders of magnitude greater than those obtained using acoustic cavitation (rate constants for delignification were 9.78 x 10(-6) and 6.8 x 10(-1) min(-1) for acoustic and hydrodynamic cavitation, respectively). The energy imparted by the pump in the hydrodynamic cavitation reactor was much higher than that imparted by the acoustic devices and this was considered to be the cause of the higher delignification rates. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.