Fiber characteristics and chemical composition of three Taxodium ‘Zhongshansa’ woods and pulping evaluation

Abstract

Taxodium ‘Zhongshansa’ (T. ‘Zhongshansa’) is a hybrid cultivar of the Taxodium Rich. genus. The wood and fiber characteristics and wood chemical compositions of three T. ‘Zhongshansa’ wood specimens were analyzed and compared with their parents, Taxodium mucronatum (T. mucronatum) and Taxodium distichum (T. distichum). It was found that the wood density of the three T. ‘Zhongshansa’ hybrids were slightly lower than the densities of their parents. The average fiber length and length to width ratio of the three samples were similar and greater than their parents. Runkel ratios of the three T. ‘Zhongshansa’ hybrids was smaller than their patents. Compared to the parents, the extractives contents of the three T. ‘Zhongshansa’ hybrids hardly varied, while the lignin content was slightly lower. The result of the kraft cooking and bleaching of T.Z.502 indicated that with a cooking yield of 44.9%, the kappa number of the kraft pulp was 41.8. The T.Z.502 kraft pulp was easier to delignify via oxygen with alkali, and the brightness reached up to 76% ISO after an elemental chlorine free bleaching process. The results provide a reference for the application of T. ‘Zhongshansa’ wood in pulp and paper making in future.