Characterization of Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) Wood Branches as a Potential Resource for Paper Production
Laura Andze,
Oskars Bikovens,
Marite Skute,
Maris Puke,
Inese Filipova,
Ulla Milbreta,
Ramon Fernando Colmenares-Quintero
Affiliations
Laura Andze
Cellulose Laboratory, Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, Dzerbenes street 27, Riga, Latvia
Oskars Bikovens
Laboratory of Lignin Chemistry, Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, Dzerbenes street 27, Riga, Latvia
Marite Skute
Cellulose Laboratory, Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, Dzerbenes street 27, Riga, Latvia
Maris Puke
Biorefinery Laboratory, Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, Dzerbenes street 27, Riga, Latvia
Inese Filipova
Cellulose Laboratory, Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, Dzerbenes street 27, Riga, Latvia; Institute of Civil Engineering and Woodworking, Faculty of Forest and Environmental Sciences, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Dobeles street 41, Jelgava, Latvia, LV-3001
Ulla Milbreta
Cellulose Laboratory, Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, Dzerbenes street 27, Riga, Latvia; Institute of Energy Systems and Environment, Riga Technical University, Azenes Street 12/1, LV-1048 Riga, Latvia
Ramon Fernando Colmenares-Quintero
Engineering Research Institute, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Calle 50 No. 40-74 Block 1 Floor 7th, Medellin, Colombia
For sustainable use of lignocellulosic resources, pruned tree branches of cocoa, one of the major evergreen tropical tree crops with significant economic importance worldwide, were investigated as a potential source of kraft pulp. This study determined the chemical composition, fiber dimensions, kraft pulp, and paper properties of the cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao L.) branches compared to the deciduous trees traditionally used in the paper industry. A handsheet of cocoa pulp showed promising results with narrow fiber length distribution, high paper density, and high mechanical strength. The yield of kraft pulp made from cocoa branches wood was lower. The tensile and burst indices of cocoa pulp handsheet were 2 and 2.5 times higher than that of hardwood traditionally used in the paper industry. These results suggest a potential use of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) tree branch wood for pulp production using the kraft process.
