2002 Volume 56 Issue 11 Pages 1653-1659
White rot fungi OM 5-1 and KUF 2 isolated from the experimental forest of Kochi University had high abilities to brighten the kenaf bark pulp and the shirakaba pulp, respectively. Bleachabilities of both fungi were compared with those of standard fungi, i. e. Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Pleurotus ostreatus. Brightness increase of kenaf bark pulp by OM 5-1 was much larger than that estimated from kappa number decrease. The similar tendency was observed when the shirakaba kraft pulp was bleached by KUF 2. Bleachability of kenaf core pulp by fungi was not similar to that of kenaf bark pulp, but to that of shirakaba pulp.
Cumulative activities of ligninolytic enzymes from each of above four fungi had linear relation to the pulp brightness increase obtained by each fungus treatment. But, during later periods of treatment only the kenaf bark pulp showed higher brightness out of this linear relationship. For kenaf bark pulp and shirakaba pulp, OM 5-1 and KUF 2 showed the highest pulp viscosities, respectively.
