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Pineapple leaf fibers (PALF) were biopulped using Trametes versicolor, and the resulting biopulp was bleached with xylanase-enzymatic treatments. The biopulping was extensively described using determinations of fiber morphology, color, chemical composition, extractive content, and thermal stability using the structural characteristics determined by XRD and paper properties. The results showed that the chemical and enzymatic treatments shortened the fiber, almost to 50%, and the Kappa index decreased from 27 to 13. Cellulose and holocellulose contents increased from 65% to 74% and from 86% to 91%, respectively, but extractives, lignin (from 12% to 4%), pentosans (from 25% to 14%) and the crystallinity decreased from 58% to 67% in both chemical bleaching and further xylanase-enzymatic processing. Xylanase)enzymatic processing allowed us to obtain whiter (increased lightness color and decreased redness and yellowness tonality) and heavier paper, even though it presented decreased mechanical properties (decreased stress resistance, rupture length, tear resistance and index longitudinal tearing). The xylanase-enzymatic treatment with the best pulping and paper proper)ties is when the biopulp is treated with a xylanase enzyme concentration of 0.04% (w/w). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increase in demand for wood and wood products, there is need to find alternative sources for the production of pulp and paper. Non wood plants have attracted interest due to their short growth cycles, moderate irrigation and fertilizer requirements and low lignin content. This study aimed at investigating the fibre characteristics of Agave sisalana for pulp and paper production. Leaves were collected from three sisal plant stands in Oyo State, Nigeria. The plant whorl was divided systematically into bottom, middle and top from which five leaves were randomly collected from each whorl position. The fibres of the leaves were extracted from which 2cm of fibres were taken from three positions on the leaf (top, middle and base). Extracted fibres were macerated and 3375 fibres were measured. The result shows that the fibre length of sisal increased with increasing length of the leaves from base to top with a mean value of 1.68mm. The fibre diameter and cell wall thickness averaged 16.98µm and 2.32µm respectively decreasing from the stem base to the top. The slenderness ratio averaged 99.4 while the coefficient of flexibility averaged 72.61. The highest value of the runkel ratio of Agave sisalana was 0.42. The fibres from sisal (Agave sisalana) leaves possess good fibre dimensions and derived values which will make it suitable for the production of high quality paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Newly developed packaging paper made of biopulped pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) and poly(lactic acid)(PLA) was studied. PALF packaging sheets were solvent impregnated with PLA at different concentrations in order to improve their moisture barrier and mechanical performance. With the impregnation of PLA at a concentration of 4%, the packaging material exhibited a low moisture uptake and a high tear index. An electron micrograph of the sample at 4% impregnation revealed uniform and packed PLA reversed microsphere morphology. These results suggest that surface coating via biodegradable polymers, such as PLA, may be utilized for manufacturing packaging materials in industrial applications. This new packaging material could reduce the dependency on woodbased paper and plastic-based packaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]