Effects of physical treatments on the hydrophobicity of kenaf whole stem paper surface using stearic acid.

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) is a relatively new industrial crop which has been identified as an alternative source of fiber in the papermaking industry in Malaysia. In this study, experimental unbleached kenaf kraft paper samples were used as a substrate to produce water-resistant paper by employing a special coating. In the preparation of the coating formulation, commercially precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) was used as the filler, in addition to 0 to 0.32 w/w g of hydrophobic stearic acid (SA). Polymer latex (PL) was added at 0.4 to 0.16 w/w g into the coating compound to control the surface roughness of the samples. The paper morphology was examined by employing a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Hydrophobic kenaf kraft paper prepared in this study had water contact angle (θ) greater than 90°. Hydrophobic paper made with formulation PL4c resulted in the highest value contact angle of 147°. The process of surface coating by dipping increased the water contact angle and this treated paper achieved a high hydrophobic level. For mechanical properties, the coated kenaf paper showed decreasing tensile strength as the addition of stearic acid increased

Properties of paper manufactured from kenaf as function of alkaline pH medium and retention of precipitated calcium carbonate

The objective of this study was to have a better understanding of the effect of alkaline pH medium in the retention of filler in papermaking using kenaf bleached pulp. Three stages of experiments were carried out involving papermaking at alkaline pH medium 8 to 13, usage of precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC), Albacar (ABC) of needle-shaped and Albafil (ABF) of circular-shaped, and the application of low and high molecular weight of polyacrylamides (PAM LM and PAM HM). Paper samples were manufactured based on TAPPI Test Method T295 om-88. Characterisation of specimens in terms of filler content, tensile, tear and burst strength were carried out. The results showed that pH medium influenced the inter-fibre bonding of the fibres during papermaking whereby pH 8-9 is found as the best medium in producing stronger paper. The findings are significant in order to suit the pH according to certain shape and size of such fillers

Water absorbency and mechanical properties of kenaf paper blended via a disintegration technique.

In this study, blended paper was prepared by blending synthetic polyethylene (PE) via a disintegration technique. The produced paper was targeted to resist water or moisture. Unbleached kenaf whole stem pulp was used as the main source of fibre in making the paper. The pulp was blended with two types of PE: low-branched (LB) and high-branched (HB) polymers. To study the effect of PE addition to the paper, the water absorbency and mechanical properties were characterized. The pulp to PE mixtures were prepared at ratios of 9:1, 8:2, 7:3, 6:4, and 5:5. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the PE was melted between the fibre linkages. The Cobb test determined that the blended paper absorbed less than 20 g/m2 of water within 60 s. The best water contact angle successfully achieved was at 84°, which is almost hydrophobic. The mechanical properties, such as tensile strength and tear strength, were in the range of accepted standard requirements. The obtained results indicated that blending via a disintegration technique can be applied in the process of making water-resistant paper. The produced paper is suitable for the manufacturing of water-resistant corrugated packaging materials

Characterisation of pulp and paper manufactured from oil palm empty fruit bunches and kenaf fibres

In papermaking, blending or mixture of fibres is one of the ways to enhance mechanical properties of paper. The objective of this study was to evaluate the properties of paper manufactured from mixture of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) and kenaf fibres. The papers were prepared according to 10, 30, 50 and 70 percentages of kenaf whole stem blended into oil palm empty fruit bunch fibres. The preparation and testing of papers were carried out based on TAPPI Test Methods. Results showed that using kenaf whole stem fibres improved the mechanical properties of the blended papers and complied with the standard requirement for writing and printing grade paper

Isolation and characterization of macerated cellulose from pineapple leaf

Diverse renewable resources, especially those obtained from residual agricultural wastes, are being exploited to reduce the impact of environmental damage. This study presents a method to produce purified cellulose extracted from locally planted pineapple leaves (Ananas comosus). The cellulose was extracted by maceration pretreatment. The heating times were varied. This method is a simpler and more effective approach to delignify the pineapple leaf fibers compared with conventional chemical pulping and bleaching processes. The chemical composition of the cellulose was investigated according to TAPPI standards and by structural analyses, namely Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results indicated that the hemicellulose and lignin were partially removed from the cellulose. Chemical analysis confirmed that the cellulose content increased from 25.8% (pineapple leaf fibers) to 70.9% (macerated cellulose). The optimum heating time was 3 h. However, XRD showed that the extracted cellulose had a higher crystallinity index than the initial pineapple leaf fibers. These results indicated that pretreatment via maceration has good potential applications in the production of macerated cellulose

Influence Of Pulping Process Conditions Towards Better Water Resistant Effect Of Durian Shell Paper By Lignin: Two Level Factorial Design Approach

Chemical pulping of durian shell fiber is a comparatively new approach in the field of pulping, and the paper industry as a whole. Pressures of rising wood resource consumption have resulted in increased attention on the use of non-wood raw materials in the papermaking industry. This situation is due to trees being exploited in high numbers for the purpose of paper manufacturing. Thus, some alternative solutions have been developed to remedy this. Natural resources wastes like kenaf, bamboo and sugarcane bagasse are used as the raw material to produce these varied grades of paper. Additionally, cellulose fiber possesses a natural tendency to absorb moist and water vapor from the surrounding, producing weak mechanical properties and limiting paper's use. Therefore, in this study, lignin acts as a natural plasticizer in plant cell wall has been optimized to overcome the hygroscopic issue. An optimal amount of lignin will generate maximum hydrophobic effect to prepare for the production of water resistant paper. The process is optimized under the influence of three operational variables; 1) % of NaOH, 2) cooking temperature, and 3) period of cooking. To analyze the response, two level factorial design method by Design Expert v.6.0.8 software has been used. The results show that the highest water contact angle reading of 70.33° has been achieved at the condition of 17 % alkalinity, 140 °C of cooking temperature and 120 min of cooking period. At the same process condition, the highest amount of lignin (57.67 %) has also been obtained which showing the significant interaction between lignin and the hydrophobic effect. From the analysis of variance (ANOVA), all parameters have significantly affected the reading of water contact angle. The P-value of the experiment model is less than 0.0001 and the coefficient of determination value (R2) is 1.000. This conclusively suggested that the model is significant and influences on the precision and process-ability of the production

Effect of different formulations of coating materials on kenaf paper

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.), is relatively new industrial crop which has been identified as an alternative sources of fiber supply in the papermaking industry in Malaysia. The hydrophilic character of cellulosic material such as paper has directed many explorations in inventing hydrophobic paper which able to stay dry at certain conditions and period after exposing to water or moisture. In this study, experimental unbleached kenaf kraft paper was prepared as substrate to produce water resistant paper by using coating method. Coating formulation consists of commercial precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) was used as filler in addition to 20/0 w/w g, 20/0.08 w/w, 20/0.16 w/w amount to hydrophobic stearic acid (SA). Polymer latex (PL) amount at 20/0.2 w/w, 20/0.4 w/w,20/0.4 w/w and 20/0.8 w/w were also added into the coating compound to bind the filler particles present in coating formulation. The water absorptiveness of paper was measured via water contact angle and Cobb test while the observation of paper morphology was conducted by employing scanning electron microscope (SEM). The mechanical properties of the coated water resistant paper were measured in order to determine the paper strength. Hydrophobic kenaf kraft paper prepared in this study exhibited reading of water contact angle (θ) greater than 90° which indicates to almost non-wetting condition. Hydrophobic paper of formulation PL4c resulted in the highest value contact angle of 147°C. The process of dipping treatment resulted in higher water contact angle reading of the paper surface. This paper surface acquired higher hydrophobic level. However, the coated paper demonstrated decrement in mechanical strength by the increasing addition of stearic acid