Production and Characterization of Paper from Pineapple Leaves and Sugarcane Bagasse Pulp

Paper is the final product resulted from compression of fiber suspension of cellulose pulp, which is derived from wood or non-woody material. In this study, paper was made from mixture of pineapple leaves and sugarcane bagasse pulp (P:S, 100:0%, 80:20%, 60:40%, 40:60%, 20:80%, and 0:100%) at varying cooking liquor or NaOH concentration (1.5% and 3%) using semi-mechanical soda pulping method. Pulp characterisation (kappa number, tensile and tearing strength) was further carried out to ensure a stable pulp and paper quality. Results showed that the highest tensile strength of 6,709 kN was obtained at pineapple leaves and sugarcane bagasse pulp composition of 100:0% and NaOH 3%, whereas the highest tearing strength (1730,13 mN) was observed at the P:S of 40:60% with similar concentration of NaOH. The lowest kappa number (6,182) was also obtained at P:S of 0:100% and 3% NaOH. The pulp characterisation values have fullfil SNI No. 6519:2016 quality standard for plastic laminated paper.