Comparison Of Different Treatment Sequences Of Kenaf Bast Fiber For High Viscosity Pulp
*Ain-Shams University, Cairo, EGYPT; **Kochi University, Japan
This paper explores the production of high viscosity pulp from kenaf bast by using three different treatment sequences (A, B and C). The chemical compositions (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin contents) and viscosity from these treatments were determined. Yield and kappa number of sample B are the highest one, while sample A shows the highest viscosity or degree of polymerization rather than those from B and C samples. Furthermore, the pulp extracted from these treatments was investigated by vibration spectroscopy and the structure differences found were validated by X-ray diffractometry. The FT-IR spectra of all pulp samples reveal the same chain conformation but different in mean hydrogen bonding, relative ether linkage and crystallinity index. From X-ray diffractograms of extracted pulp, the crystallinity index percentages for A, B and C samples were 77.0, 73.4 and 75.0 that confirm the FT-IR results.
Keyword: Crystallinity index, FT-IR spectroscopy, Kappa number, Kenaf, Viscosity, X-ray diffractometry.
(Lignin Symposium at Fukui-Japan, November 2003)
