Abstract

The bamboo biomass is widely available in tropical countries and is actually being used for papermaking on a commercial scale in other countries. Its comparable cellulosic content to wood resources in the pulp and paper industry corresponds to its suitability as a substitute in view to reduce our dependency on wood and in line with sustainability. Accordingly, the study investigated the production of paper from the non-wood fibre for subsequent uses hinged on its physical and mechanical characteristics. It also targets paper waste since the latter was employed in different mixing ratios (20:80, 40:60, 60:40 and 80:20). Value added materials, namely envelopes, paper bags and holders were produced in order to open new arenas for the Mauritian fibre industry. Soda process was employed as the chemical pulping process. The optimum cooking conditions, giving rise to the highest pulp yield were found to be 16% w/v NaOH and a cooking time of 2 h at 90 °C. The thickness of the formed sheets was between 0.376 mm and 0.593 mm. Paper made from 100% bamboo was found to be most resistant to soil degradation. The highest bursting index was obtained from 80% bamboo sheet, amounting to 1.86kPam2/g. Sheets constituting of 20% and 40% bamboo showed favourable results to be used as printing materials and were observed to be most resistant to abrasion, requiring 40 and 26 turns, respectively. The minimum water absorbency rate of sheets derived from 80 and 100% bamboo connotes to their use as absorbents. The crease recovery angles were found to be within 27.5° to 63.8°, implying the application of 100%, 80% and 60% bamboo mix in the manufacture of envelopes and paper bags.