Utilization of rice straw and used paper for the recycle papermaking

Rice Straw is one of the most important materials that has been used for pulp and paper production due to its abundance and cost-effectiveness. However, the pulping and papermaking characteristics of the mixture of rice straw and used paper have rarely been investigated. In this experiment, delignified rice straw was mixed with used paper in order to make recycle papers with acceptable properties. Soda pulping process was carried out to remove out of lignin. The delignification was designed to measure the effects in terms of sodium hydroxide concentration and temperature, on the cellulose and lignin content of rice straw, and its tensile strength and water absorption. The mass ratio of used paper and rice straw was varied and its physical properties was observed and compared to paper from natural rice straw. The delignification was conducted using NaOH concentrations (4-10% w/w) and temperatures (60-90degC) for 1 hour. The ratio of rice straw to used paper was varied (1:1-1:9). An optimum condition was obtained from rice straw delignification at NaOH concentration of 8% and temperature of 90degC. The results of the optimum condition obtained the highest amount of cellulose content and tensile strength while having the lowest amount of lignin content and water absorption.