Evaluation of Pulp Quality of Three Non-Wood Species as Alternative Raw Materials for Paper Production

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Parts of three non-wood species, the stem of Musa sapientum (banana), the mid-rib of Cocos nucifera (coconut) leaves, and the stem and leaves of Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth), were kraft-cooked to assess their pulp properties as alternative raw materials for paper production. Regarding M. sapientum stems, the best result was found for pulp cooked at 150℃ with the application of 9.2% effective alkali and 17% sulfidity. The highest tear index was 9.92 mN・m2/g with a 57.4 N・m/g of tensile index and 38.4% of screened pulp yield. The mid-rib of C. nucifera leaves displayed the best performance with the highest screened yield at 160℃ with 21.3% effective alkali and 30% sulfidity. Moreover, the tear index, tensile index, and screened yield were 6.91 mN・m2/g, 67.8 N・m/g, and 44.4%, respectively. Considering all of the properties, the best treatment was 9.4% effective alkali, 13% sulfidity, and a cooking temperature of 150℃ for E. crassipes stems and leaves, which provided pulp with a tear index, tensile index, and screened yield of 2.64 mN・m2/g, 63.9 N・m/g, and 33.9%, respectively.