Production and Evaluation of Flutting Paper from Semichemical Bagasse Pulp

Soda is the most important pulping process for production of semichemical pulp from agricultural residues especially bagasse. Technical specifications and characteristics of fluting paper produced from agricultural residues are similar to those produced from wood species by using common NSSC process. In the present study, the potential of semichemical soda bagasse pulp and the comparison of its physical and mechanical properties with hardwood NSSC pulp produced in Mazandaran Wood and Paper Industries (MWPI) at laboratory scale were investigated. 8 percent active alkali and cooking time of 20 minutes at 160 °C, was selected as optimum condition for making semichemical soda bagasse pulp with pulp yield of 64.5 percent and kappa number of 74. Properties of fluting paper from semichemical soda bagasse pulp were compared with hardwood NSSC pulp. It was shown that flutting paper produced from soda bagasse pulp had much superior physical and strength properties than hardwood NSSC. As a result, in the case of using bagasse semichemical pulp for production of fluting paper in mills like MWPI, not only stronger paper may be produced but also significant reduction in forest based wood consumption can be achieved.