COMMERCIAL-SCALE PRODUCTION OF SODA PULP AND MEDIUM PAPER FROM OIL PALM EMPTY FRUIT BUNCHES

Abstract

RUSHDAN, I, LATIFAH, J., HOI, W. K. & MOHD. NOR, M. Y. 2007. Commercial-scale production of soda
pulp and medium paper from oil palm empty fruit bunches. The objective of this study was to commercially produce soda pulp and medium paper from empty fruit bunches (EFB) of Elaeis guineensis. In this work, EFB fibrous strands collected in Malaysia were shipped to China where they were pulped using a continuous pulping system. EFB soda pulp was shipped back to Malaysia for papermaking at three paper mills in Peninsular Malaysia. The EFB pulp was blended with recycled pulp from old corrugated container (OCC) at different ratios of blending to produce medium paper. Our results showed that EFB could be pulped by the soda process commercially. Evaluation of EFB soda pulp produced in this study had properties similar to pulps from two commercial hardwood species, namely, Acacia mangium and Eucalyptus globulus.