Chemical-free Thermomechanical Pulping of Empty Fruit Bunch and Sugarcane Bagasse

The biomass resources oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) and sugarcane bagasse, which are residues from the palm oil and sugar industries, continue to be investigated for more applications. With increasing concern for the environment, cleaner production has been a worldwide aim of researchers. In this study, thermomechanical pulp (TMP) from EFB and sugarcane bagasse was prepared with disc refining after steam pretreatment of the raw materials. Afterwards, refining and handsheet properties of TMP using various percentages of unbleached soda bagasse pulp (USBP) were studied. Fiber characterizations and handsheet properties showed that pulp of acceptable quality was obtained via thermomechanical pulping. Moreover, energy consumption during PFI refining of EFB TMP was higher than that of bagasse TMP. Physical properties were further enhanced through introduction of USBP. The results firmly support the feasibility of cleaner thermomechanical pulping of EFB and sugarcane bagasse.