Bamboo mechanical pulp for manufacture of chinese ceremonial paper

Abstract

Bamboo is an important raw material for manufacture of paper pulp in areas where it is abundant, especially in India, Pakistan, Taiwan (Formosa), and mainland China. In most instances it is reduced to pulp by chemical treatment under pressure at high temperature. An exception is the manufacture of bamboo mechanical pulp in Taiwan. This pulp is combined with a small amount of ricestraw chemical pulp for manufacture of a product used to prepare the so-called "joss paper" employed in Chinese religious and funeral ceremonies. "Joss" is a pidgin English word that is derived from the Portuguese deos or deus, god, and is used to refer to a Chinese household divinity or to a cult image. Joss paper consists of sheets of crude paper of various sizes, mostly 2'2 by 3 inches, to 10 by 11 inches, usually almost completely or partially covered with a piece of tin foil. A golden metallic effect is created, according to Hunter,2 by brushing the foil with seaweed extract contain-