Borassus flabellifer L. waste for Kraft paper production with Kraft methods

Abstract

Borassus flabellifer L. becomes one of the palm-based commodities in Indonesia that can grow well in dry areas, especially around the north coast of Java Island. An abundant waste of this plant, in the form of leaf midrib and fruit fiber, has a potential as a source of lignocellulose for the paper industry. In the present study, Kraft paper production was conducted to know the influence of the proportion of leaf midrib and fruit fiber of Borassus flabellifer L., and the concentration of Polyvinyl Acetate (PVAc) adhesives on the sensory and physical quality of Kraft paper. The research method was a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with two factors. The Friedman test was used to determine the sensory quality of Kraft paper. The ANOVA analysis was used to examine the physical quality of Kraft paper. The results showed that the treatment of raw material proportion and PVAc adhesive concentration had significant effect on color, surface texture, yield, and tensile resistance, but insignificant between treatment of Gramatur and tear resistance. The best treatment of sensory tests was Kraft paper with proportion of 50% leaf midrib pulp, 50% fruit fiber pulp, and 7.5% PVAc adhesive concentration. It has a yield value of 72.11%, Gramatur of 162.80 (g/m2), tensile strength of 1.70 (%), and tear resistance of 197.6 (gf).