Recycled Paper Enhancement with Semantan Bamboo Virgin Pulp for Corrugated Paper Manufacturing

Abstract

The effect of Semantan bamboo virgin pulp on the recycled paper properties enhancement, for corrugated paper manufacturing, has been studied. The pulping of Semantan bamboo revealed that pulping condition with 15% alkali charge and 150 °C cooking temperature with 8000 beating revolutions leads to good paper properties. The paper tensile index was 87.71 Nm/g, bursting index was 6.94 kPa m /g, tearing index was 12.72 mN m /g and folding endurance was 613 double folds. These are the important strength determination for paper mechanical properties prediction. After that, the bamboo pulp was blended with recycled paper pulp and made into 120 g/m paper for corrugated paper manufacturing. The results revealed improved values with an increasing bamboo percentage added to the recycled paper. Zero-span index and flat crush test (FCT) index of 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10% bamboo added with recycled paper properties were 90.06, 91.38, 95.23 and 96.90 Nm/g and 1.49, 1.49, 1.53 and 1.61 Nm/g, respectively. Zero-span and FCT index are the testing for corrugated paper determination strength. It showed that the addition of Semantan bamboo virgin pulp gave a positive impact to the strength properties of recycled paper. In conclusion, Malaysian bamboo possesses great potential in enhancing the recycled paper properties. Therefore, bamboo serves as a good substitute for currently imported virgin softwood pulps.