Kraft pulping of Eucalyptus camaldulensis planted in homestead forestry in Bangladesh

Eucalyptus camaldulensis planted in homestead forestry was evaluated as a pulpwood. The anatomical, morphological and chemical properties of E. camaldulensis were assessed. The fiber length of E. camaldulensis was 0.96 mm, but the fiber width and lumen were narrower; consequently, slender ratio of fiber and wood density was higher. The α-cellulose (47%) and lignin (30%) content in E. camaldulensis were higher and pentosan content was lower (11%) than other hardwoods in Bangladesh. E. camaldulensis was cooked by kraft process and obtained pulp yield of 46.2% with kappa number of 24.2 at the conditions of 2 h cooking at 170 °C with 18% active alkali charge. The papermaking properties were acceptable; the tensile index was 57.79 N·m/g with a tear index of 6.21 mN·m²/g at 40 °SR.