Fiber morphology, chemical composition, and properties of kraft pulping handsheet made from four Thailand bamboo species

Abstract

The microstructural, morphological, chemical, pulp, and paper properties of four fast growing Thai bamboo species, Bambusa vulgaris, Bambusa longispiculata, Dendrocalamus membranaceus, and ×Thyrsocalamus liang, were characterized to evaluate their potential as alternative fibrous raw materials in pulping and papermaking. It was found that the chemical composition of the four bamboo species was not significantly different. The alpha cellulose, lignin, and ash contents were between 46% and 50%, 27% and 29%, and 2% and 3%, respectively. The average fiber length ranged between 1.74 and 2.16 mm and had long fibers similar to softwood fibers. The bamboo fibers were thick-walled, narrow, had a small lumen, and were rigid. The pulp yield of all the bamboo species, prepared by kraft pulping, was high between 45% and 50% and had a low rejection of 0.12–0.33%. The handsheets were prepared from the bamboo pulp using various beating time to develop strength properties. It was observed that the handsheet quality improved with increasing beating time. We conclude that these properties indicate a great potential for these bamboo species for pulp and paper production.