Characterization and Pulping of Crops Residue: Eggplant, Cassava, Okra and Mulberry Plants

Abstract

In this paper, four crops residues such as eggplant, cassava, okra and mulberry plants were assessed as papermaking raw materials. These crops residues had lower α-cellulose and holocellulose and moderate lignin content with syringyl:guaiacyl range of 1.05–1.63. The fiber length of eggplant, cassava, and mulberry plants were shorter (0.58–0.65 mm), while the same for okra plant was medium (1.14 mm). The Runkle ratios of these plant fibers were low (0.208–0.678), and flexibility coefficient was low to medium (55–79). All these non-wood plants were difficult to cook except eggplant plant. Eggplant plant produced screened pulp yield of 33.21 with kappa number of 22.9 at the conditions 3 h cooking at 170 °C with 20 alkali charge. Cassava plant showed the lowest screened pulp yield of 17.7% with kappa number 30.3 at the conditions 2 h cooking at 170 °C with 20 alkali charge. The okra plant pulp showed the best papermaking properties among these crops residues. Eggplant and okra plants can be used for brown packaging grade pulp.