The influence of soda-anthraquinone (AQ) pulping conditions on paper properties of oil palm empty fruit bunches was studied using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) based on Central Composite Design (CCD). The alkali charge, NaOH (A), pulping temperature (T), and pulping time (t) ranged between 20 and 30%, 160 and 180 °C, and 60 and 120 minutes, respectively. The mechanical properties evaluated for the handsheets produced were the tensile index, tearing index, bursting index, folding endurance, zero-span tensile strength, and the optical properties (brightness and opacity). The effects of soda-AQ pulping conditions on oil palm empty fruit bunch paper were elucidated by the regression models obtained. The optimum pulping condition were at 27.3% alkali charge, 160 °C, and 60 min that produced paper properties with 26.8 N.m/g tensile index, 7.95 mN.m2/g tearing index, 5.32 kPa.m2/g bursting index, 1.70 log10 folding endurance, 46.2 N zero-span tensile strength, 51.8% brightness, and 95.8% opacity.
The effect of bamboo portions and beating revolution on paper made from Gigantochloa scortechinii was determined. The bamboo was pulped using soda- anthraquinone (AQ) pulping comparing two pulping conditions (alkali 15 & 20%, temperature 160 & 170°C) for different bamboo portions consisted of top, middle and bottom. Hand sheets from unbeaten bamboo paper were made and the tensile index, tearing index, bursting index and folding endurance ranged from 16.35 - 32.54 Nm/g, 9.6 - 13.45 mN.m2/g, 0.81 - 1.54 kPa.m2/g and 3 - 9 double folds respectively. After that the bamboo pulp went through beating process and the tensile, tearing and bursting index and folding endurance for bamboo paper rose tremendously from 41.23 - 83.9 Nm/g, 16.64 - 27.13 mN.m2/g, 2.58 - 6.67 kPa.m2/g and 48 - 1769 double folds respectively. This revealed that bamboo paper strength can be enhanced by beating process without adding any additives.
Epoxy matrix widely used in polymer composites as a reinforcement material due to its outstanding performance. Epoxy matrix exhibit good mechanical and thermal properties such as good stiffness, dimensional stability and high heat distortion temperature. However, it is known that epoxy had brittleness and exhibit low toughness. This study investigates the mechanical properties of brittle epoxy resin when modified by liquid epoxidized natural rubber for toughening purposes. Liquid epoxidized natural rubber (LENR) was introduced to the epoxy with five different loadings of 1%, 3%, 5%, 7% and 9% by weight. The mechanical strength (flexural strength, flexural modulus, tensile strength, tensile modulus and impact strength) of the rubber toughened epoxy composites were investigated. The results showed that the addition of liquid epoxidized natural rubber (LENR) had improved the flexural modulus, flexural strength and impact strength by 47%, 40%, and 22% respectively at 3% loading.
Fiber morphology of 3 species of bamboo namely Bambusa vulgaris, Gigantochloa levis, and Gigantochloa scortechinii at age of 1, 3, and 5 years, was evaluated. It shows that different species of bamboo have different properties in terms of their fiber morphology that consist of fiber length, fiber diameter, and lumen diameter. Fiber diameter, fiber length, and cell wall thickness increased with the increasing of the bamboo age but the lumen diameter decreased when the bamboo gets older. G. levis at age 1 to 3 and G. scortechinii at age 1 have high potential to be the raw materials for the pulp and paper industry.
One way to minimize emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change is to reduce the use of wood as the main material for pulp and paper production. Therefore, non-woody plants such as bamboo can be alternatives as raw materials for pulp and paper. This study aims to determine the effect of the different bamboo species and age on the bamboo pulping yield and bamboo mechanical paper properties. Bambusa vulgaris, Gigantochloa levis, and Gigantochloa scortechinii bamboo species or locally known as Aur, Beting, and Semantan bamboo at the age of 1, 3, and 5-year old, were pulped using Soda-Anthraquinone (AQ) pulping. No beating process was conducted to all the papermaking processes to evaluate the basic mechanical properties of the bamboo paper. Pulping yield ranged from 35.7 to 51.7% at different bamboo species and age, with the pulping conditions at 20% of NaOH, 170ºC pulping temperature, 90 min time to reach pulping temperature and 90 min time at pulping temperature, 1:6 of bamboo to liquor ratio and 0.1% of AQ based on bamboo oven-dried weight. The paper was made according to TAPPI Standard T205 sp- 95. The paper mechanical properties for burst index, tear index, tensile index, and folding endurance ranged from 1.32 to 2.36 kPa.m2/g, 7.48 to 14.9 Nm2/g, 16.02 to 29.68 Nm/g, and 2 to 28 double folds, respectively, at different bamboo species and age. It was found that Beting bamboo has the potential to be a viable raw material for pulp and paper products as it shows the highest mechanical properties compared to Aur and Semantan.
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