Chemical Engineering Research & Design, Vol.82, No.8, 1029-1036, 2004
Pulp and paper from tagasaste (Chamaecytisus proliferus LF ssp palmensis)
Tagasaste (Chamaecytisus proliferus (L.F.) ssp. palmensis) trimming residues are considered to be agricultural waste, since they cannot be converted into valuable products. The chemical characteristics of tagasaste trimming wood and eucalyptus wood are similar in ash, holocellulose, lignine, xylan and acetyl groups. Thus, tagasaste wood trimmings could be an adequate raw material for hydrothermal treatment and pulp and paper-making. An experimental design was performed to study the influence of process variables: temperature (170-192degreesC), pulping time (30-90 min), active alkali concentration (12-20%), liquid-solid ratio (4: 1-8: 1) and anthraquinone concentration (0-0.1%) on the properties of pulps (yield, kappa index, viscosity, alcohol-benzene extractives, holocellulose, lignin and a-cellulose contents and brightness) and paper sheets (stretch index, burst index and tear index) obtained from tagasaste residues. Pulps with acceptable physical and chemical properties can be obtained operating at 170degreesC for 60 min with 12% active alkali concentration, 0.1% anthraquinone concentration and 8 : 1 liquid-solid ratio.