Preparation of Pulp, Microfibrillated Cellulose, and Paper Hand Sheets from Bakong (<i>Hanguana malayana</i> (Jack) Merr.)

Abstract

Bakong (<i>Hanguana malayana</i> (Jack) Merr.) is a perennial herbaceous plant that grows abundantly in certain parts of the Philippines. This study investigates Bakong fibers' potential as a pulp source for papermaking. Furthermore, microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) produced from the fibers was used as an additive in the Bakong fiber-based hand sheets at 2%, 6%, and 10% w/w, and their effects on their strength properties were observed. The soda pulping method produced Bakong pulp with a total yield of 47.36%. Proximate chemical analysis showed that the method reduced the lignin content from 13.19% to 8.76%, and the resulting pulp was successfully formed into paper hand sheets. The strength properties of the hand sheets were tested, and the resulting burst index, tear index, tensile index, and folding endurance values were 5.98 kPa/m2∙g, 6.41 mN∙m2/g, 105.97 N∙m/g, and 626 double folds, respectively. Aside from the tear index, the Bakong hand sheets' strength properties were much higher than that of locally produced commercial printing paper. The addition of MFC on the hand sheets negatively affected the burst and tensile index values of the Bakong hand sheets but significantly improved the tear index up to 6% w/w. These results show that the pulp produced from the Bakong fibers can potentially be used as an alternative source of pulp for papermaking, but further optimization of the pulping process is recommended to increase the yield, lower lignin content, and improve compatibility with the MFC.