Chemical pulping of waste pineapple leaves fiber for kraft paper production

The main objective of this study is to evaluate the implementation of acetone as a pulping agent for pineapple leaves. Mixtures of water and acetone with concentration of 1%, 3%, 5%, 7%, and 10% were used. The effects of soaking and delignification time on the paper properties were investigated. Thermal and physical properties of paper sheet were studied using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and tearing resistance test respectively. The morphological properties were observed using microscope at 200× magnification. The paper sheet produced from pulping with 3% acetone concentration shows the highest mechanical properties. Papers strength was improved by increasing the delignification time. The delignification time was reduced by cooking the pineapple leaves at a temperature of 118 °C under applied pressure of 80 kPa which has remarkable effect on paper strength.