Bleached and Dissolving Pulp Properties of Eucalyptus Urophylla

Eucalyptus wood, a fast-growing species, has been a primary raw material for pulp and paper production. The present research determined the fiber dimension, chemical content, and pulp properties of the 4, 5, 6, and 7-year-old eucalyptus wood (Eucalyptus urophylla S. T. Blake). The wood was converted into pulp by the Kraft pulping process. The pulping operating conditions were active alkali of 17%, sulphidity of 30%, liquor/wood ratio of 4/1, a maximum temperature of 1650C, and 3.5 hours total cooking time. The resulting pulp was then bleached by an ECF bleaching method following DEDD sequences. A dissolving grade pulp was also prepared from 6-year-old wood by prehydrolized kraft pulping. Hydrolysis was done by adding 0.4% sulfuric acid to the liquor (water). The resulting pulp was then bleached by an ECF bleaching method of DoED1ED2. The fiber dimension and its derivative values of E. urophylla were classified into the quality class of II for the pulp and paper raw material. The age of wood influenced chemical content but did not influence pulping yield and kappa number. It was found that the highest mechanical properties of pulp resulted from 6-year-old E. urophylla. Dirt was only found in E. urophylla of 7-year-old pulp. Therefore, it is not recommended for the raw material for pulp and paper, mainly for the dissolving pulp grade. The dissolving pulp grade produced fulfilled the requirements of the standard specification of the SNI-2009.