Development of Long-fiber Pulp from Caribbean Pine (Pinus caribaea) for Packaging Paper Applications
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Abstract
This study evaluated the potential of Caribbean pine (Pinus caribaea) as a domestic raw material for long-fiber pulp production to reduce dependence on imported long-fiber pulp in the packaging paper industry. The chemical composition of the wood, pulping performance, and properties of the resulting pulp and paper produced using the soda-anthraquinone (Soda-AQ) process were investigated. Laboratory-scale pulping was conducted at 165°C for 170 min using active alkali charges of 18-28% as Na2O and soluble anthraquinone (SAQ) charges of 0.10-0.15% based on oven-dry wood. The results showed that Caribbean pine had a chemical composition suitable for long-fiber pulp production and yielded unbleached pulp with kappa numbers of 21.14-39.26 and screened yields of 42.96-49.36%. Increasing the active alkali charge enhanced delignification, whereas adding SAQ improved delignification selectivity and pulp yield retention. Among the cooking conditions evaluated, an active alkali charge of 18% as Na2O combined with 0.15% SAQ was identified as the most suitable condition, yielding a kappa number of 32.69 and a screened yield of 49.36%. The resulting pulp exhibited physical and mechanical properties comparable to those of commercial long-fiber pulp, particularly in terms of tensile index, burst index, ring crush test (RCT), concora medium test (CMT), and short-span compression test (SCT) performance. These properties are important for the production of kraft linerboard, corrugating medium, and kraft sack paper. These findings demonstrate that Caribbean pine has strong potential as an alternative domestic source of long-fiber pulp for Thailand’s packaging paper industry.
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References
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