i) Stems and nodes of wheat straw, without leaves, were cooked by sulphate method for 2 hrs. at 160°C and optimum digestion was accomplished with 1416% total alkali (calc. for NaOH) at 10% sulphidity.Under these conditions, pulp yield, lignin content, and permanganate number were 54%, 3% and 12.
Leaves were cooked under the same conditions, and they gave lower pulp yield and lower permanganate number than those of stems and nodes. However, their lignin content was rather higher than stems and nodes.
ii) A whole wheat straw was cooked under various conditions and bleached with three stage method.Then it was tested on the physical strength properties and analyzed.
A. P. was the best in the physical strength properties, and K. P. was nearly the same at 1416% total alkali and 10% sulphidity to A. P.,
This bleached pulp gave the following values i.e., 40% on yield, 1.2% on lignin content, 80°on brightness (Pulfrich), 8.7 on breaking length, 88 on tear factor, 8.8 on bursting factor and 12001500 on folding endurance.
This physical and chemical properties were superior to those of neutral sulphite straw pulp and not inferior, excepting the tear factor, to those of sulphate hardwood pulp.
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