Timber Bamboo Pulp, 2012 TAPPI PEERS Conference

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Fast-growing biomass, such as bamboo, has the potential to serve an important future role in the pulp and paper industry with potential to both lower resource costs and improve a product's sustainability. Moso bamboo is particularly interesting due to its fast growth and size, which allows it to be handled and chipped similarly to wood resources. In this study we will share results of the chip preparation, kraft cooking, and ECF-bleaching of this bamboo species and compare its pulpability, bleachability, and physical properties to a fast growing hybrid Poplar tree. Results indicate that the bamboo chips cooked and bleached similarly to the Poplar hardwood allowing for co-cooking. The resulting pulps had superior tensile properties at low refining, but did have higher fines that lowered drainability as measured by Canadian Standard Freeness. The bamboo fiber morphology will also be discussed which provides interesting opportunities for use in several paper grades.