Non-wood Fibers Research Articles

PHYSICO-MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF WOOD AND NON-WOOD PLASTER OF PARIS BONDED COMPOSITE CEILING BOARDS

The effects of wood and non-wood fibres reinforcement on the properties of Plaster of Paris were evaluated. The woody and non woody residues were varied in 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 % of the whole mix while the Plaster of Paris used was in the ratio 100 (control), 90, 80, 70, 60, and 50 %. The mean density of the composite produced is 3250 kg/m3. The mean thickness swelling and water absorption after 2 and 24 hours were 0.84 % and 0.88 %, and 13.8 % and 16.2 % respectively. The MOR and MOE increased with increase in fibre content hence the composite is suitable for indoor applications.

Pulp and paper production from oil palm empty fruit bunches: A current direction in Malaysia

The pulp and paper industry is advanced rapidly since there are many types of raw materials containing cellulose fibres that could be used to produce different kinds of paper by different methods in the mills. In Malaysia, one of the abundant non-wood materials for pulp and paper production is empty fruit bunch (EFB) from the oil palm. The EFB is the main fibrous residue and natural fibre which has promising potential as an alternative to replace woody materials. This study provides insight into the use of EFB as an alternative non-wood fibre resource in pulp and paper making. The potential of oil palm EFB transformed into valuable fibre material was elaborated. In this review, detailed information on the properties of EFB for pulp and paper making process to identify the chemical composition and fibre morphology were discussed. Recent advanced applications including nanocellulose from EFB, polymeric hydrogel, and antimicrobial papers were discussed to demonstrate high commercialization for pulp and paper technology. The three-dimensional (3D) printing technique has been employed due to the high complexity of paper products. The future trends and challenges regarding the use of EFB in pulp and paper making were also reviewed. This study demonstrated that the EFB has met the demand of the market chains as a potential raw material in paper making and manufacturing.

Study of Water Absorption Properties of Water Absorption Core Made of Pulp Mold

The water absorption properties of the water absorption core made of pulp mold were investigated in this study. The pulp mold samples were modified using various natural non-wood fibers such as cotton linter, kapok, abaca, Tencel and through the high bulk-forming process with the low polarity solvent in order to find main factors for improving the water absorption properties. The application of the kapok fibers resulted in the higher water absorption amount following the bulkier structure. The alkali treated kapok showed the higher water retention value and the improvement in the water absorption properties. The bulk of the pulp mold samples was greatly increased by the high bulk-forming process with low polarity solvent, which led to a significant improvement in the water absorption amount. The addition of natural water absorption additives such as glucomannan and carboxyl methyl cellulose (CMC) also increased the water absorption amount. The double-layered pulp mold samples were prepared as a water absorption core made of the kapok fiber, utilizing the high bulk-forming process with the addition of the glucomannan, which resulted in a significant increase in the water absorption properties.

Relationship between Leaf and Fibre Characteristics of Agave sisalana

With decrease in wood from the forest, non-wood fibres have attracted interest in the production of pulp and paper products in recent times due to their short growth cycles, moderate irrigation and fertilizer requirements as well as their low lignin content. The use of these plants will aid sustainable development in the pulp and paper industry. This study investigated leaf dimensions and fibre characteristics of Agave sisalana and how the leaf dimensions relates to its fibre characteristics. Leaves were collected from three sisal plant stands in Oyo State, Nigeria. The plant whorl was divided systematically into bottom, middle and top from which five leaves were randomly collected from each whorl position. The fibres of the leaves were extracted from which 2cm of fibres were taken from three positions on the leaf (top, middle and base). Extracted fibres were macerated and 3375 fibres were measured. The result shows that Agave sisalana leaves collected at the top had the longest length and was also widest at the base and middle. The average fibre length was 1.69 mm, while the fibre diameter, lumen width and cell wall thickness of Agave sisalana were 16.98 µm, 12.33 µm and 2.32 µm respectively. The slenderness ratio averaged 99.4 while the coefficient of flexibility averaged 72.61. The highest value of the runkel ratio of Agave sisalana was 0.42. There was significant negative correlation between leaf characteristics and fibre characteristics. Young sisal (Agave sisalana) leaves produced the best fibre characteristics suitable for the production of high quality paper.

Physico-Mechanical Properties of Wood and Non-Wood Plaster of Paris Bonded Composite Ceiling Boards

Woody ( Alzibia zygia ) and Non-woody (rattan and yarn strands) fibres were used comparatively to improve the physicomechanical properties of Plaster of Paris bonded composite which is used as ceiling boards. The addition of fibre reinforcement in a discrete form improves the engineering properties of the Plaster of Paris. The woody and nonwoody residues were varied in 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50% of the whole mix while the Plaster of Paris used were in the ratio 100 (control), 90, 80, 70, 60, and 50%. The mean density of the composite produced is 3250 kg/m3. The mean thickness swelling after 2 and 24 hours is 0.84 % and 0.88 % respectively with the mean water absorption at 13.8% after 2 hours and 16.2 % after 24 hours. The MOR and MOE of the composites produced ranged from 1.21-1.22 N/mm 2 , 2431-51488N/mm 2 for sawdust, 1.17-1.22 N/mm 2 , 10027-49940 N/mm 2 for yarn strands and 1.20-1.22 N/mm 2 , 23566-86210 N/mm 2 for the rattan strands. The results showed physicomechanical properties of POP-bonded fibre reinforced composites were increased for both wood and non-wood fibres and rattan strands compared best.

Determining the quality of paper substrates containing triticale pulp for printing industry

Abstract Today, the paper industry is faced with a global deficiency of raw wood materials, so alternative sources of virgin cellulose fibres are playing an important role in paper production. Agricultural countries produce large quantities of crop farming by-products such as straw, which is an interesting alternative raw material for cellulose fibres. Straw is used in many industries because of its numerous advantages: animal food industry, biofuel industry, construction industry and as artistic material. The potential use of straw production residues is of great importance in paper and printing industry. The focus of this research is on triticale straw, which was used as a non-wood fibre source for paper production. Namely, triticale straw was converted into semi-chemical pulp and was combined with recycled wood pulp in order to produce alternative laboratory papers. The usability of this kind of laboratory papers in printing industry was analysed based on line reproduction quality. This research evaluated and analysed line reproduction quality based on four line attributes: width, blurriness and raggedness. The results of this research proved that triticale pulp in laboratory papers has equal influence on line printing quality as the recycled wood pulp.

Non-wood fibers as raw material for pulp and paper industry

AbstractPulp and paper industry in the world have been growing fast. As a result, there has been a massive request for pulp and paper raw materials. The raw materials used in papermaking can be classified into three groups: wood, non-wood, and recycled wastepaper. The Non-wood raw material is an important fiber resource in the regions where forest resources are limited. The current usage of non-wood plant fibers, as rice straws, corn stalks, cotton stalks, and bagasse would play a chief role in increasing papermaking raw materials. Using of non-wood plant fibers in the paper industry associated with some problems, including collection, transportation, storage and handling, washing, bleaching, papermaking, chemical recovery, supply of raw material and the properties of finished paper. Recently, a high-tech innovation in all the fields of papermaking has made non-wood more reasonable with wood as a raw material for papermaking. Although till now, use of non-wood fibers for pulp and paper manufacture was focused in countries with limited wood supply, it is now showing a growing effort even in countries with acceptable wood source due to environmental concerns. Consequently, the future of non-wood plant fibers as pulping and papermaking raw material looks bright.

Wheat straw as an alternative pulp fiber

The desire to market sustainable packaging materials has led to an interest in the use of various fiber types as a raw material. It has been suggested that the use of annual crops for partial replacement of wood fiber would result in more sustainable products. Several life cycle analyses (LCA) have been performed to evaluate these claims. These LCAs provided conflicting and contradictory results because of the local conditions and the spe-cific pulping processes investigated. Selected LCAs are reviewed and the underlying reasons for these conflicting results are analyzed. Of all the agriculturally sourced annual fibers available, other than wood, only straw pulp is currently available in commercial quantities. A careful review of the available data suggests that neither an annual crop nor wood are more sustainable in general. Countries that allow burning of straw after harvest present a unique situation. Each situation needs specific and direct comparisons that are not generally available. The use of straw fiber in place of wood fiber does not appear to present any advantages to either the environmental impact of production or to the final product quality. The impact of substitution of straw fiber for hardwood pulp in bleached board applications and for high yield pine in linerboard applications has been examined in handsheet studies. In general, the partial substitution of straw pulp for wood pulp does not improve the handsheet physical properties. These studies suggest that straw pulp should be used in low fiber strength requirement applications, such as tissue and molded fiber products. Commercial progress of straw pulping by Kimberly-Clark and Essity in low fiber strength requirement applications is a sign that the nonwood fiber opportunity has growth potential.

Avaliação das propriedades do bagaço de cana e bambu para produção de celulose e papel

The raw materials commonly used to produce pulp and paper in Brazil are woods from planted forests. Although with tremendous potential, the use of non-wood fibers is inexpressive. This study thus aimed to evaluate the use of sugarcane bagasse and bamboo to produce pulp and paper via physical, chemical and anatomical characterization, and to verify the influence of its properties on the process and the final product. Anatomical analysis of the fibers was performed (length and width from fibers and vessels, lumen width and cell wall thickness), as well as chemical component analysis (cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, extractives and ash) and basic density of the materials. Moreover, felting rate, Runkel, Mulsteph and Boiler indexes, flexibility coefficient and wall fraction were generated. Results showed that both materials differed statistically in chemical properties, except for lignin content; density and anatomical properties, excluding vessel width and felting rate. Bamboo presented higher values cellulose (52.96%), minerals (2.34%), density (0.461 g/ cm³), wall fraction (67.84%) and Runkel (2.11), Mulsteph (0.90) and Boiler indices (0.81) values, whereas sugarcane bagasse presented higher hemicellulose (17.63%), extractives (12.81%) and flexibility coefficient (46.19%) values. Most properties were similar to those observed in raw materials commonly used for this purpose. Therefore, these two materials have potential for use in the pulp and paper industries.

Effect of pulp fibers on the surface softness component of hygiene paper

AbstractThis study analyzed the effect that pulp fibers have on the surface softness component of hygiene paper. The surface softness component has more of an influence on the evaluation of subjective softness results than the bulk softness component. Using the surface softness measurement technique, this study aimed to evaluate the effect that fibers have on the softness of hygiene paper substrate via objective numerical values to measure the surface softness component of hand sheets composed of various pulp species. The results indicate that coarseness effects had the largest effect on softness among the various fiber characteristics, such as average fiber length, width and coarseness. As fiber coarseness increased, a rough surface formed, which resulted in an increase in the mean deviation from the average friction (MMD). Nonwood fibers had long fiber length and low coarseness, which enables the production of hygiene paper with high strength and softness. This study hopefully could lead to the development of various process technologies that may improve the softness of hygiene paper products.

Preliminary study on compatibility of metakaolin-based geopolymer paste with plant fibers

Referring to the evaluation methods of the compatibility of cement with plant fibers, the compatibility of metakaolin-based geopolymer paste (MBGP) with 15 plant fibers from forest and agriculture product residues was studied. Results show that MBGP has good compatibility with either wood fibers or non-wood fibers, and the wood fibers are more compatible than non-wood fibers as a whole. Because the plant fibers have not suffered from expensive and complex pulping processes and any additive has not been used in the preparation process, these plant fibers possess good application prospects for the production of geopolymer particle board.

Improving cellulose nanofibrillation of non-wood fiber using alkaline and bleaching pre-treatments

This study aimed to investigate the effect of alkaline and bleaching pre-treatments on nanofibrillation of jute fibers and on mechanical performance of the ensuing cellulose films. Fibers were submitted to mild or strong alkaline pre-treatments. Then, only after mild alkaline pre-treatment, the fibers were pre-treated with two different bleaching pathways. Succeeding, cellulose nanofibrils were produced by mechanical defibrillation of the pre-treated fibers, while cellulose films were obtained by dewatering (suction) of the cellulose suspensions. Commercial bleached wood (Eucalyptus and Pinus) pulps were used as reference sources of cellulose fibers. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to investigate the morphology of the obtained cellulose nanofibrils. Cellulose films were compared by their Tensile properties. Defibrillation process was highly influenced by chemical pre-treatments. By the morphological analyses, the most effective nanofibrillation was observed for fibers pre-treated with tetraacetylethylenediamine (TAED), leading to nanofibrils with average diameter of around 20 nm. The crystalline index (CI) was higher for nanofibrils from pre-treated fibers (CI > 80%) when compared to the raw fibers (CI = 61%). Jute fibers pre-treated with TAED bleaching led to higher nanofibrillation, resulting on films with higher Tensile strength and Young's modulus, which were similar to mechanical properties of those from commercial wood pulp.

A comparative study on the starch-based biocomposite films reinforced by nanocellulose prepared from different non-wood fibers

Nanocellulose was extracted from three kinds of non-wood fibers (bamboo, cotton linter, and sisal) by TEMPO-mediated oxidation and high pressure homogenization. Starch-based composite films containing different kinds of nanocellulose with different content (0–10 wt%) were prepared via solution casting method. The morphology and structure of the three kinds of nanocellulose and their respective effects on the composite films were compared by various characterizations. The impacts of nanocellulose content on the thermal stability and mechanical properties of the composite films were also evaluated. The study found that morphology and chemical composition of the nanocellulose obtained from different sources were almost the same, but there were slight differences in their size and crystallinity. Bamboo nanocellulose had the highest aspect ratio, which enabled it to provide the greatest reinforcing effects on the mechanical properties and barrier properties of the composite films. The addition of nanocellulose improved the mechanical properties of the films but reduced their elongation at break and thermal stability. This study paves the route for choosing the most effective non-wood nanocelluloe source and mixed ratio to produce food packaging with the best performance.

Isolation and Characterization of Microfibrillated Cellulose from Agro-industrial Soybean Residue (Okara)

Microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) was isolated from the byproduct of soymilk, tofu, and okara (soybean residue) using a chemi-mechanical technique. Initially, petroleum ether treatment at 50 °C for 8 h and protease treatment at 50 °C for 2 h were used to remove fat and protein, respectively. A 6 wt% hydrochloric acid solution at a 20 mL/g acid-to-cellulose ratio was applied at 88 °C for 60 min to remove the residual hemicellulose and degrade cellulose. Finally, the sample was gently homogenized at 60 MPa to aid in individualization of the fibers to nano dimension; homogenization for 5 and 25 passes resulted in fibers labeled as MFC-5 and MFC-25, respectively. The amorphous region of okara cellulose was higher than other non-wood fibers. The average diameters of MFC-5 and MFC-25 were within the range of 13 nm to 93 nm and 9 nm to 55 nm, respectively. MFC obtained from okara has potential to reinforce ecofriendly cellulosic nanofibrillated for diverse applications.

Comparative analysis of heat transfer coefficient for wood and non-wood pulp fiber

The comparative study for obtained heat transfer coefficient for Acacia Mangium (wood) and Kenaf bast (non-wood) pulp fiber suspension were performed in a close loop circular pipe heat exchanger. During the test study it was observed that the magnitude of heat transfer coefficient strong influenced by the parameters including: fiber type, pulp concentration, characteristics as well as fiber pulping method. At a low fiber suspension concentration and higher flow rates, it was observed that higher values of heat transfer coefficient were achieved than that of water, in contrast, a decrease in heat transfer values were found at increasing concentration and lower pulp suspension. It was found that values of heat transfer coefficient decreases with increasing the fiber flexibility for both Acacia Mangium and Kenaf bast respectively. In the present research work, the fiber dimensions and fiber flexibility are inter-related along with values of heat transfer coefficient of both wood and non-wood fiber suspensions.

Utilization of aquatic weeds fibers for handmade papermaking

Increasing global paper consumption has fostered the search for new alternative non-wood fiber sources. The aquatic weeds Cyperus digitatus, Cyperus iria, and Scirpus grossus were analysed for their fiber characteristics and chemical composition, and the processed fibers were transformed into handmade paper. The selected species yielded medium-length fibers (0.92 mm to 1.03 mm), which were thin-walled with a lumen diameter (3.37 µm to 5.26 µm) wider than cell wall thickness (2.73 µm to 2.97 µm). In terms of fiber derived values, the selected species possessed a slenderness ratio of 86.5 to 113.1 (favourable, > 30) and flexibility coefficient of 35.2 to 47.6 (favourable, within the range 50 to 70), which was classified as rigid fiber. The species also contained high cellulose, 42.1% to 44.8% (favourable, > 40%) and hemicellulose content, 42.8% to 45.6% (favourable, within the range of 30% to 50%), and low lignin content, 10.6% to 11.8% (favourable, < 12%). Handmade paper of Cyperus digitatus possessed relatively high tensile strength (2.61 ± 0.15 kN/m) and breaking length (1.20 ± 0.07 km) among studied species. Comparison with other non-wood fibers indicated that the studied plants fibers can be used for production of paper plates, paperboard, and decorative paper.

ПОРІВНЯЛЬНИЙ АНАЛІЗ РОЗМІРНИХ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИК НЕДЕРЕВНИХ ВОЛОКОН РІЗНОЇ ПРИРОДИ

Comparison of dimensional characteristics of various non-wood fibers (flax, hemp, bamboo, cotton), which can be used as an additional component in the production of non-woven composite materials from synthetic fibrous waste. The structure of the fibers was studied by optical polarization microscopy. The dimensional characteristics of the fibers were determined by the method of analyzing digital images, followed by statistical processing and graphical analysis of the obtained data. A quantitative comparative analysis of the transverse dimensions and distribution for this indicator for non-wood fibers of various natural origin: flax, hemp, bamboo, cotton. It has been established that the average transverse dimensions of the initial fibers of flax and hemp are higher than for bamboo and cotton fibers with greater variability of this index and a pronounced asymmetry of the distribution towards valuesgreater than the average. Based on a detailed statistical analysis of microscopic images, differences in the transverse dimensions of non-wood fibers of different natural origin are established. The results obtained can be used to produce nonwoven composite materials with predictable properties.

Effect of Sodium Hydroxide Concentrations on Properties of <i>Panicum repens</i> for Pulp and Paper

Panicum repens is a species of grass known by many common names, including torpedo grass, creeping panic, panic rampant, couch panicum, wainaku grass, quack grass, dog-tooth grass, and bullet grass. The paper has been made from non-wood materials for long times. This research was used Panicum repens for made grass pulp as non-wood fiber. The influence of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) concentrations on properties of pulp from Panicum repens was investigated under room temperature. NaOH concentration levels were varied at 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%, respectively. Moreover, Paper pulp from Panicum repens was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). This research has controlled the length of fiber approximately 0.5-2.5 cm before soaked with NaOH concentration at 1 hour and soak with water for controlled pH value at 7-8. Paper pulp was formed on a sieve. The result showed that color of paper pulp made from Panicum repens was light brown and green. SEM showed that NaOH concentration affects the physical properties of paper pulp. Moreover, true density of paper pulp was also investigated in this research.

Biocomposite materials based on annual natural fibres and biopolymers – Design, fabrication and customized applications in architecture

Natural fibres retrieved from annual agricultural by-products offer diverse advantages, when applied as a main ingredient in biocomposite building materials. These fibres, such as straw and other non-wood fibres are annually renewable and are worldwide available having the lowest cost, in comparison to other natural fibres available in the industrial fibre market. In this paper, the author presents three case studies of natural fibre reinforced polymers (NFRP), discussing the agro-fibre densification, different architectural designs for customized applications and fabrication stages. The natural fibres were compounded with three different biopolymers: a thermoplastic, a thermoset and an elastic thermoplastic one. This allowed variations in the final designs and geometries that can be reached, but caused a necessity of changing the fabrication technique in each case accordingly. To prove the applicability of the developed products, mechanical properties and environmental assessment were analyzed.

Natural Fibers from Plantain Pseudostem (Musa Paradisiaca) for Use in Fiber-Reinforced Composites

ABSTRACTAgricultural crops from plantain produce a significant amount of wastes and they are currently considered worthless. Accordingly, in this study, non-wood fibers from pseudostem of plantain plants were extracted through mechanical processing to be used as reinforcing material in polyester composites. Bio-based composites were obtained using a 4% wt. of lignocellulosic reinforcement and were prepared after the fibers underwent alkaline and acetylation treatments in order to enhance the compatibility of organic loads with the polyester matrix. The higher cellulose content of plantain fibers indicates that they can be used to reinforce composites with a polymeric matrix. The plantain fibers have bast fiber bundle of around 120 µm; single fibers of around 5 µm; and mesofibers with a diameter between 0.5 and 1 µm. The results showed that plantain fibers can be used as a filler material to obtain an alternative polymer composite. The flexural strength of composites (polyester with acetylated plantain fibers) was improved 28% when the properties are compared to control composite.