| Author | Suebthip Pongpaiboon |
| Note | A special project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the degree of Master of Science (Professional) in Pulp and Paper Technology, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Specific characteristics of some special non-wood fiber material (such as bast and leaf
fiber) give in principle enormous potential to these pulps in paper products, particularly in
specialty papers. Sisal and Abaca leaf potential use as fiber source is discussed in this
report.
Sisal fibers are extracted from leaves of Agave plant by a special decortication process.
The fibers have a cylinder-thin shape with the length of 3 mm (average) and average 20
micron in width, furthermore they have very low lignin, but higher alpha cellulose content
compared to common wood fibers. Therefore, Sisal fibers are considered as raw material
which is easy to delignify in pulping process. Sisal fibers have already proved that they
can be pulped by using simple soda or soda-AQ process with pulp yield around 60-65%. In
bleaching process, Sisal pulp can be bleached with hydrogen peroxide to achieve 80-87%
brightness. It has certain properties in terms of high tear strength, high porosity, high bulk,
high absorbency and high folding endurance. These specific pulp properties are best
utilized in specialty papers.
Also, Abaca fiber is one of the excellent raw materials for the manufacture of specialty
papers. This fiber is obtained from the leaf sheath of a banana-like plant (Musa Textilis).
Typically process used for pulping Abaca fiber is the soda or alkaline sulfite process.
Specific Abaca fiber characteristics give high strength properties, both excellent tear and
tensile combination (compared e.g. to Sisal fiber), which can be used in light weight
specialty papers.
Both Sisal and Abaca are ideal fibers for special papermaking which requires high porous
or good strength properties: tea bag paper, condenser paper, filter paper, meat casing,
banknotes, etc. However, selection of fibrous raw material for achieving the best quality
specialty paper, we need to know more about their final properties requirement and fibrous
raw material characteristics |
| Year | 2008 |
| Type | Special Study Project Report (SSPR) |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (Former title: Department of Food Agriculture, and BioResources (DFAB)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Pulp and Paper Technology (PP) |
| Chairperson(s) | Viljakainen, Esa ; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Nazhad, Mousa M. ;Lehtinen, Esa ; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | SCG Paper Public Company Limited; |