Characterisation and Evaluation of Bast and Core Fibre of Sugarcane (Saccharum Officinarum) Bagasse for Pulp and Paper Production

This study was conducted to determine the suitability of bast and core fibre derived from S. Officinarum bagasse (an agricultural waste) for pulp and paper making. The bagasse was chipped and macerated in a 1:1 mixture of acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide for three weeks to release the fibres. The fibre dimensions were measured under the microscope and morphological indices calculated. Physicochemical properties (ash and moisture content, cold water, hot water and 1 % NaOH solubility) were also determined using American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) method. The bast fibre was digested with 2 and 4 M NaOH in ratios 1:10, 1:20 and 1:30 (w/v) at pulp time of 30, 60 and 90 minutes, respectively. The mean values obtained for fibre length, fibre diameter, lumen width and cell wall thickness for both core and bast fibre were in the range 0.736 mm to 1.542 mm, 0.0237 mm to 0.0242 mm, 0.0178 mm, and 0.0025 mm to 0.0029 mm respectively. The morphological indices for core and bast fibres were; 10.54 to 12.58, 0.35 to 5.81, 32.21 to 67.43 and 78.83 to 78.90 for coefficient rigidity, runkel ratio, felting power, and coefficient flexibility respectively. It was observed that the best pulp yield was obtained with 1:10 (w/v) solid to liquid ratio of 2 M NaOH solution at digestion time of 90 minutes. The papers produced were examined using Scanning Electronic Microscope (SEM). The finding of this study revealed that bast fibre of S. Officinarum plant holds greater promise as a sustainable alternative source for papermaking than the core fibre.