Upgrading of hemp core for papermaking purposes by means of organosolv process

Non-wood raw materials for paper production have been maintained constant during last decade. In Europe, fibres from non-wood resources proceed mainly from flax and hemp crops. Hemp core is considered a by-product of the process, mainly used in equestrian sector. The application of these fibres for papermaking process gives a significant added value to the sector. New technologies in cooking processes like organosolv pulping gives advantages compared with traditional Kraft cooking. Hemp fibres obtained by means of organosolv process have been compared with eucalyptus Kraft pulp to determine if physical and mechanical properties of final pulps are similar. Efficiency of the organosolv cooking experiments was evaluated by means of yield, percentage of uncooked sample, kappa number and viscosity. To analyze the suitability of pulp samples for papermaking applications, different evaluation of mechanical properties as morphological characterization were done. Controlling cooking conditions of hemp core, similar properties of eucalyptus Kraft fibres are obtained. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.