STUDIES ON PULPING AND BLEACHING CHARACTERISTICS OF SACCHARUM SPONTANEUM LINN

Abstract

The present- study was--,: under: ,. taken. to check the suitability of "SACCHARUM SPONTANEUM LINN" for conversion into pulp and paper product since this material is available .abundantl, n nature as weed throughout the year. the. results of proximate chemical analysis of S. spontaneum Linn indicated that it is a bulky material, having comparatively lower extractive content, lower lignin content and higher total carbohydrate fraction. The alkali requirement is low (11-13%) in comparison to pulping of wood. The unbleached pulp showed good' results towards oxygen pre-bleachingy;hereby reducing the kappa number by -620. The pulp showed further good response towards multi-stage bleaching sequences to. give pulp with a high• brightness ceiling. The pulp also showed good response during bleaching since the structure of fiber is comparatively open with respect to wood fiber. The results of present investigations indicated that the S. spontaneum Linn is one of the potential non wood f ibrous raw material for conversion into paper and pulp product. As the fiber length is comparatively low, so it is advisable to use it with long fibered raw material/pulp to run on high speed machines.