Sponge Gourd Potential for the Raw Material of Paper and Dissolving Pulp

Abstract

Sponge gourd (Luffa cylindrica) provides a sustainable and cheap source of lignocellulosic materials potential for the raw material of paper and dissolving pulp. In the present works, sponge gourd fruits 5 and 8 months old were pre-hydrolyzed in an acidic (pH of 5) and neutral (pH of 7) at 165 C for 3 hours, and successively soda pulped at a maximum temperature of 170 oC for 4 hours with 20% active alkali. The resulting pulp was bleached by the D0E1D1E2D2 method. The bleached pulp was chemically analyzed to evaluate its feasibility for dissolving pulp based on the requirement of SNI 14-03-1989. The pulp feasibility for paper materials ware based on the measurement of fiber dimensions, fiber derivative values, and the strength properties of the pulp. It was found that the a-cellulose content of the sponge gourd coir was high compared to the requirement of SNI 14-03-1989. However, it did not satisfy the requirement of dissolving pulp due to its high extractives, ash, silica content, and low viscosity. The fiber of sponge gourd coir was classified into the quality class of II with intermediate pulp strength.

Hedonic Ratings and Physicochemical Stability of Antiaging Cream Formulas with Natural Active Ingredients of Nanophytosome from Combination of Merbau Wood-Gotu Kola Leaves Extracts and Essential Oils

“…The most significant decrease in the pH of the cream base and F9 cream occurred when the cream was stored at extreme temperatures. This is in line with Sari's research [17]; the decrease in pH was caused by high temperatures, which resulted in oxidation, which lowered the pH value.…”

“…The hedonic test in the study uses a scale of 1-9, which shows the level of preference from immensely, very dislike to very, very like. The number 1 represents strongly dislike, 2 represents dislike very much, 3 represents dislike, 4 represents somewhat likes, 5 represents neutral, 6 represents rather appreciates, 7 represents likes, 8 represents likes very much, and 9 represents likes very much [17].…”

“…The b* value represents a mixture of blue-yellow colors (+b represents a value from 0 to 70 for yellow; -b represents a value of -70 to 0 for blue). According to Sari [17], ΔL*, Δa*, and Δb* were calculated from the difference between the values before (0 days) and after being held for 21 days. ΔE* is the total color difference, which is obtained from the formula:…”