The role of Carica papaya latex bio-catalyst in recycling of used fibre pulp

Abstract

Biotechnology-based enzymes are challenging in reducing production costs and presenting environmentally friendly technologies. The study deal with an experimental investigation of the bio-catalyst made of Carica-papaya latex in recycling used fibre pulp in industry. The experiments used a test specimen from 5 g of dry pulp mixed with 150 mL of water and a mixture composition of 3.23%. Other similar experiments applied a bio-catalyst from papaya latex by dipping 6 g of unripe papaya into the water. A heating process of the test material was performed at a temperature of 50 °C to optimise the work of enzymes in the pulping process, and then Carica papaya fruit was removed from the container after 3 min. In addition, the characterisation of test materials in the hand-sheets form was realised in dry conditions. The tests carried out include Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, acidity (pH), turbidity, whiteness, and freeness. The results indicated that the addition of bio-activator in water produces bio-ions (positive and negative), which play a vital role in eroding pulp functional groups, influencing the construction of stalagmite micro valleys, and changing the surface morphology of pulp. The release of Bromide, Iodide, Chloride and Fluoride functional groups causes brightening effects and increases the degree of whiteness, impacting the pre-whitening process. Meanwhile, changes in the stalagmite micro valley and the surface morphology of the pulp cause a bulky effect and ultimately reduce the degree of freeness.