Pulp properties and spent pretreatment solution resulting from reed pulping with a low alkali loading

Abstract

Using reed (Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud) as raw material, straw pulp was prepared by low alkali (less than 6%) pretreatment combined with mechanical grinding. The effects of pretreatment times and alkali dosages on pulp properties and pretreatment solution were investigated. The results demonstrated that alkali pretreatment affected FPI beating efficiency, and the beating energy consumption was lowest when pretreated with alkali dosage of 4%. With 5% NaOH pretreatment, the produced handsheets showed excellent properties that exceeded the requirements of food packaging paper and C-class corrugated paper. Moreover, low silicon content (≤1.12 g/L) in the pretreatment liquor had an almost negligible effect relative to alkali recovery. Therefore, this study is important for researchers and industrial representatives seeking to use reed straw as material for pulping.

Chemical Composition and Morphological Characterization of Enset (<i>E. ventricosum</i>) Leaf Residues for Paper Pulping Production: Kraft Pulping

“…The Pulp yield is slightly affected by the NaOH concentration which is significantly affected. this was due to a higher concentration of sodium hydroxide (16%) decomposing some percentage of the cellulose amount during the cooking process [8,14]. Additionally, the higher concentration of sodium hydroxide created a black liquor solution, that reduced the yield of the pulp [8].…”

“…Subsequently, non-wood materials contain cellulosic fibers, which have great potential as a complement source for paper pulping with lower environmental effects than wood materials [6]. Convectional non-wood fiber raw materials for pulping and paper making are like wheat straw [7,8], bagasse [9,10], sugarcane straw [11], Leucaena divers folia [2], jute [12], rice straw [13], reeds [14], bamboo [15], abaca fiber [16], banana fiber, leaf and pseudo-stem [17,18], and pineapple leaves [19], are examples of agricultural and industrial wastes that have been investigated so far. A vital plant highly cultivated and ample planted staple food in Ethiopia is the Enset crop [20,21].…”