Material Properties of Traditional Handmade Paper Samples Fabricated from Cellulosic Fiber of Lokta Bushes

Abstract

Handmade papers (HPs) are fabricated from fibrous biomass of Lokta bushes and other plant species following traditional eco-friendly method in Nepal. Although HP fabricated from Lokta bushes is believed to be durable and resistant to bugs and molds, material properties of this paper are not reported in literature. In this study, we measured several material properties of 10 handmade Lokta paper samples collected from local enterprises and paper industries. The mean caliper, grammage, apparent density, equilibrium moisture content, Cobb 60, brightness, opacity, tensile strength, and tensile index values in the paper samples ranged from ∼90 to 700 μm, 50 to 150 g/m 2 , 0.2 to 0.4 g/cm 3 , 4 to 7%, 50 to 400 g/m 2 , 56 to 67%, 83 to 98%, 30 to 2900 N/m, and 1 to 27 Nm/g, respectively. These properties suggested that the HPs are lightweight papers with intermediate to high strength. The tensile strength was found to be significantly higher along the length direction ( p < 0.05). Characteristic features of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin were observed in FTIR spectra. The crystalline and amorphous phases were also identified in X-ray diffraction (XRD) data. Electron microscopy images revealed a nicely cross-linked network of intact fibers having almost parallel arrangement of microfibrils. These features could provide strength and durability to the paper samples. Understanding the material properties of HPs down to the sub-microscopic level may help improve the paper quality and find novel applications in the future.

Improving the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Mycelium-Based Green Composites Using Paper Waste

“…The measured density values were similar to those of MBCs reported in previous studies, which measured between 25–954 kg/m 3 [ 8 , 43 , 48 ]. Interestingly, it was discovered that their density was comparable to that of many synthetic foams (11–920 kg/m 3 ), some wood composites (170–780 kg/m 3 ) [ 28 , 49 ], as well as paper-based materials (170–800 kg/m 3 ) [ 50 , 51 , 52 ], which suggests the possibility of utilization in a variety of applications.…”

A systematic study on material properties of water retted Sterculia and Bauhinia fiber

“…Estimation of major chemical components viz. extractives, lignin, hemicellulose, cellulose and ash content in the water retted samples (S0, S20, S30, S55 and B0, B20, B30 and B55) was performed gravimetrically following the previously reported methods [25][26][27][28]. Triplicate measurements were made in all the samples for each chemical component.…”