Abstract:
Environmentally beneficial paper can be made by replacing wood Fibres with various types of cellulosic fibres Such as straw fibres using eco-friendly methods. Rice straw fibres. are good candidates since they are abundantly available and inexpensive.
The research was carried out to. investigate the potential of producing handmade paper from rice straws using eco-friendly methods. Preliminary pulping studies were rice straw which is an agricultural waste from rice plantations.
The rice straw fibers were pulped using different eco-friendly compounds that is; wood ash, soda ash (magadi salt), urea, potassium hydroxide and marcel soap. Paper samples were produced using each of the eco-friendly compounds at different concentrations (ranging from 12%, 10%, 8 0/0, 6% and 4%). All paper samples were, produced using the same conditions. The adhesives that. was used was starch and other chemicals such as rosin and alum.
The properties that is; basis weight, water absorbency and tensile breaking strength were determined for each of the paper samples produced. The basis weight of paper produced using wood ash was found out to be the highest than that of the. paper produced from urea, soda ash, potassium hydroxide and marcel soap. The degree of water absorbency of paper produced using marcel soap was the lowest than that, of the paper produced from wood ash, urea soda ash and potassium hydroxide. The tensile breaking strength of paper produced using marcel soap was the highest than that of' the paper produced from wood ash, urea, Soda ash and potassium hydroxide.
It was found out that the: higher concentrations of the eco-friendly compounds, the better the properties of the paper produced. At a concentration of 12%, the basis weight was high, the degree of water absorbency was low and the tensile breaking strength was high at a concentration of 40/0, the basis weight was low, the degree of water absorbency was high and the tensile breaking strength was low.
The findings in this research provide an opportunity to use rice straw fiber as a raw material for the production of' handmade paper in Uganda.
