Effect of Ozone Treatment on the Properties of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Sulfonated Chemi-Mechanical Pulp

Xing Wan,Jun Li,Yang Ping

doi:10.3390/f12081085

Abstract

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) as an abundant waste material can be utilized for pulp production to alleviate the shortage of raw materials in the paper industry. Sulfonated chemi-mechanical pulp (SCMP) has great potential in paper making industry. However, its poor performance due to the high surface lignin content limits its application. In this study, we used EFB as raw material to produce SCMP and systematically studied the effect of ozone treatment on pulp properties. Results show that the surface structure and morphology of fibers exhibited distinct differences under different ozone dosage treatments. Compared to the control, the content of surface lignin of pulps was reduced by 2.56%, 4.64%, 13.24% and 25.24% when ozone consumption was 1, 3, 5 and 7 wt%, respectively. Meanwhile, the treated pulp had a lower drainability at the same refining energy level. Moreover, the physical and optical properties of handsheets were improved significantly after ozone treatment. Ozone treatment is a very efficient way to improve the performance of SCMP. Additionally, this method avoids complicated processes and chemical consumption. Therefore, as an effective, environmentally friendly and low-cost treatment method, ozone treatment can improve the performance of EFB SCMP and thus provide a high-quality pulp resource.

Highlights

In recent years, a series of policies and regulations have been issued in response to deteriorating environmental problems caused by the extensive utilization of wood in pulp and papermaking
In order to compensate for the pulp quality problems caused by a large amount of lignin covering the fiber surface in chemical mechanical pulping, we investigated the impact of ozone treatment on degrading fiber surface lignin of empty fruit bunch (EFB) Sulfonated chemimechanical pulp (SCMP)
We used ozone treatment to improve the performance of EFB SCMP

Summary

Introduction

A series of policies and regulations have been issued in response to deteriorating environmental problems caused by the extensive utilization of wood in pulp and papermaking. The shortage of raw materials has become an urgent situation that the world’s pulp and paper industry is facing [1]. The pulp and paper industry has been looking for new raw materials to replace wood, especially in some woodscarce countries. Various bioresources such as sugar bagasse, rice straw, wheat straw and palm oil empty fruit have been evaluated to assess their potential as raw materials for the papermaking industry [3,4]. Oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFBs) are the main industrial waste from palm oil, which is widely distributed in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, etc. [5]

Methods

Results

Conclusion