Evaluation of Linter Cellulose as an Alternative Raw Material for Tissue Paper Production

The study was carried out to evaluate Linter Cellulose (LC) as an alternative raw material for tissue paper production. Since LC is generally dark brown in color, it must be bleached before being used in tissue paper production. Bleaching process was applied to LC after impurities and oils were removed. LC was bleached in 9 different conditions with sodium hypochlorite (NaClO). The optical and physical properties of LC were measured in accordance with relevance standards in order to determine optimum bleaching condition. The best results in the optical properties were obtained by bleaching with 12 % NaClO. The whiteness, brightness, and yellowness values were found as 67.54, 64.39, and 6.20, respectively. The physical properties of bleached LC were not suitable for tissue paper production. For this reason, LC and wood fibers (WF) were mixed at certain rates to produce tissue paper. The physical and optical properties of the paper obtained from the mixtures were analyzed to determine the optimum mixing ratio. The results showed that 40 % LC and 60 % WF mixtures can be used in tissue paper products. The important physical properties for tissue paper were Water Retention Value(WRV) and Water Absorption Time (WAT) and these values were found as 293.6 g.m(-2) and 1.67 s. WRV and WAT of LC were found to be better than those of WF (267 g.m(-2) and 2.62 s). As a result, when considering the shortage of pulp and paper raw material, the use of LC in tissue paper production would contribute significantly to procuring the raw material and providing economic production.