UTILIZACION OF COCONUT HUSK (Cocos nucifera L.) FOR CELLULOSE PULP PRODUCTION

The coconut husk is a residue from consumption of coconut water. In coastal cities this residue has already become a big problem, because it is difficult to decompose. The present study aimed to evaluate the husk of the coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) for production of kraft pulp. The raw material was characterized and had its basic density, chemical composition, fiber size and proportion of anatomical elements analyzed. Pulping tests were conducted and one of them was chosen for repetition. In each pulping the alkali charge was variable in order to prepare an alkaline curve. The results from the pulping process show high levels of kappa number, low yields and low rejects content. The following characteristics of the material, low basic density (0.128 g/cm (3)), high amount of extractives (33.68%) and low proportion of fibers (22.11%), corroborate to these results. Thus, the production of pulp from the coconut husk by the kraft process, it is not an alternative technically feasible.