Pulp produced from decorticated abaca fiber

The objective of the study was to examine the potential of decortication as an alternative means of extracting abaca fiber for production of abaca pulp. Decorticated fibers were compared with commercially stripped abaca fiber. Results were evaluated in terms of fiber recover, physical-chemical-morphological properties, and pulp quality. The results demonstrate that decorticated abaca fiber produces a high-quality pulp comparable with that from more expensive, commercially stripped fibers. The differences in pulp quality reflect the fact that decortication provides a higher fiber yield and a lower degree of fiber purification.