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Paper Making from Banana Pseudo-Stem: Characterization and

Comparison

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DOI: 10.1080/15440478.2013.874962

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Journal of Natural Fibers, 11:199–211, 2014
Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 1544-0478 print/1544-046X online
DOI: 10.1080/15440478.2013.874962

Paper Making from Banana Pseudo-Stem:

Characterization and Comparison

M. Z. H. KHAN,1,2 M. A. R. SARKAR,3 FORHAD IBNE AL IMAM,4

M. ZAHID H. KHAN,5 and RAIMO O. MALINEN1
1
Department of Pulp and Paper Technology, Asian Institute of Technology (AIT),
Pathumthani, Thailand
2
Department of Chemical Engineering, Jessore Science and Technology University,
Jessore, Bangladesh
3
Department of Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology, Jessore Science and Technology
University, Jessore, Bangladesh
4
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pabna Polytechnic College, Pabna, Bangladesh
5
Local Government Engineering Department, Jessore, Bangladesh

This study deals with the determination of paper-making

potentialities of banana pseudo-stems growing in Thailand.
Chlorine dioxide ( Do and D1 ) and extraction ( Ep ) treatments were
all performed in sealed plastic bags in a thermostatically controlled
water bath. Unbleached banana kraft pulp in the kappa number
range of 23–28 was not easy to bleach with three-stage sequence
of D0 -EP -D1 . The determination of mechanical properties of stan-
dard paper after mild beating in the laboratory is discussed as
is the interpretation of the results. As an indication of potential
paper-making properties, they are important for the pulp producer
in the control of fiber characteristics. The brightness was achieved
at 45% ISO, with a viscosity level at 585 mL/g. Drainage of pulp
was extremely slow and paper-making properties were character-
ized by low strength, low bulk, rough surface, and extremely poor
optical properties.

KEYWORDS banana stem, bleaching, paper testing, physical

properties, optical properties

Address correspondence to M. Z. H. Khan, Department of Chemical Engineering,

Jessore Science and Technology University, Jessore 7408, Bangladesh. E-mail: zaved.khan@
yahoo.com
Color versions of one or more of the figures in the article can be found online at www.
tandfonline.com/wjnf.

199
200 M. Z. H. Khan et al.

INTRODUCTION

On a global scale, non-wood fibers are a minor part of raw material supply
to paper and paperboard manufacture. In many countries, however, they are
still widely used and are of significant importance in terms of overall volume
and as a percentage of total pulp supply. Natural fibers present important
advantages such as low density, appropriate stiffness and mechanical prop-
erties, and high disposability and renewability. Moreover, they are recyclable
and biodegradable. There has been a lot of research on use of natural fibers
in reinforcements (Lam et al. 2001; Nicemol et al. 2007). Banana is the com-
mon name for herbaceous plants of the genus musa family musaceae and is
also the name given to the fruit of this plant (Nicemol et al. 2007).
Growing worldwide importance of the utilization of various non-wood
plant fibers, as an alternative to wood pulp, in the manufacture of pulp,
paper, and paperboard is now well established (Yu et al. 1995). Many non-
wood fibers, such as bamboo, jute, straw, rice, abaca, and bagasse, are
currently used in small commercial pulping operations (Darkwa 1988). Other
agricultural residues such as banana stem possess characteristics suitable for
paper making (Poonam and Gupta 1991). Banana is one of the important
fruit and vegetable crop plants and belongs to the genus Musa. Other well-
known species are abaca (Musa textilis) and other wild banana plants used
as a source of fibers for the paper and cordage industries (Saikia 1997).
Banana pseudo-stem has been known as a potential cellulose source,
though usually discarded as agricultural waste in many countries. Over the
years, an increasing preoccupation regarding forest preservation and rational
use of forest and agricultural residues has occurred. This fact was mainly
motivated by the increasing consumption of wood fiber-based products,
such as panel, paper, and boards. This demand is currently solved by using
increasing amounts of recycled fibers. Thus, in some paper grades, more than
50% of raw materials are secondary fibers. Annual plants could also be a new
 Paper Making from Banana Pseudo-Stem 201

source of lignocellulosic fibers for paper making and/or composite materi-

als (Hornsby et al. 1997; Karolia and Malhan 2005). The cellulose content
serves as a deciding factor for mechanical properties along with microfibril
angle. A high cellulose content and low microfibril angle impart desirable
mechanical properties for bast fibers. Lignins are associated with the hemi-
celluloses and play an important role in the natural decay resistance of the
lignocellulosic material. The composition of banana pseudo-stem obtained
by elemental analysis was determined by Khan et al. (2013). The mechanical
properties of paper depend primarily on the morphological character of the
individual fiber and on the interaction between them (MacLeod 1995).
The general relationship between fiber morphology and paper strength
properties has been studied for various wood species (Gurnagul et al.
1990; Seth and Page 1988; Ververis et al. 2004). The importance of plant
materials, fiber dimensions, and their derived values (slenderness ratio,
flexibility coefficient, and Runkel ratio) on pulp and paper mechanical
strength is well documented. Horn (1990) has shown that, under certain
conditions, tearing resistance depends strongly on fiber length, whereas
others report that increase in raw material fiber length enhances the
tearing strength of hardwood pulps. Using multiple regression analysis,
Kellogg and Thykeson (1975) also found that the majority of variation in
burst and tensile strength in hardwood pulp sheets could be accounted
for by fiber length and cell wall thickness (Ganan et al. 2004). In an
extensive review of the literature, Dinwoodie (1965) stressed the impor-
tance of the three derived values on pulp strength, whereas researchers
like Saikia et al. (1997) and Ogbonnaya et al. (1997) have successfully
used those derived values to assess the suitability of various non-wood
fiber raw materials for pulp and paper manufacture (Gokarneshan et al.
2009).
Despite low lignin content, the delignification of banana stems appears
difficult. However, some authors think that banana stem can give a high-
quality specialty fiber with high yield if the preparation of the material is
adequate. Heikal et al. compared the kraft (MacLeod 1995) and nitric acid
(Heikal 1976) pulping of retted and unretted banana chips. They reported
that pulping of retted samples gave pulps with better chemical and strength
properties than that from unretted samples.
A detailed investigation was undertaken to study the possibility of
paper making from banana pseudo-stem, and the results obtained from this
investigation are presented in this article. The extraction of fiber from the
pseudo-stem is not a common practice and much of the stem is not used
for production of fibers. The behavior of the fibers also gives important hint
regarding their subsequent behavior as reinforcement in paper. A detailed
comparison study was done between the paper properties of banana fiber
with others in terms of kraft pulping and paper-making characteristics which
indicates their suitability for paper industry.
202 M. Z. H. Khan et al.

EXPERIMENTAL
Raw Material
The raw material used for this research was whole length banana stem.
Banana stem was collected from a common species (Musa acuminata) in
Thailand. This type of banana plant is generally grown all over the country.
The stem was cut from plant and chopped in small pieces (2–3 inch) and
allowed to sun dry for about 3/4 days in the open air. After sun drying,
oven dry (OD) measurement was done and the stem was then prepared for
cooking.

Pulping
Cooking: Five cooks were done in an air bath digester comprising six auto-
claves. Cooking liquor was prepared from solid NaOH pallets by dissolving
them in water, and concentration of NaOH was determined (SCAN-N 2.88).
Since the packing of raw material was very low, only 100 g (as OD) per
autoclave could be used for cooking in digester.

Bleaching of Chemical Pulp

Bleaching was done after oxygen delignification. Pulps were taken in plastic
bags in a water bath. Bleaching chemicals and water were added together
into pulp and the mixture was heated near to reaction temperature in
microwave oven. Pulp was mixed well during bleaching time after every
15 min. After every stage, pH of filtrate was measured and after D stages
residual chlorine was determined. Pulp was then washed by a diluting
and dewatering procedure; first, it was diluted to consistency 5% and then
dewatered. This was repeated two times.

Fiber Morphology and Chemical Composition of Banana Stem Fiber

Hollocellulose was determined according to theTAPPI general procedure,
whereas in case of lignin estimation T222 om-98 was followed. The detailed
procedures for extractives, ash, water solubility, and pentosans were TAPPI
general. Banana fiber chemical pulp was used for fiber length and fiber
coarseness measurements. L & W fiber analyzer instrument was used for this
purpose.

Sheet Making and Testing

The bleached banana stem fiber pulp was beaten and handsheets were made
for testing the physical and optical properties.
 Paper Making from Banana Pseudo-Stem 203

BEATING
Chemical pulp was refined in a PFI mill. The target revolution was 2000 and
4000. SCAN: C24:67 was followed in case of chemical pulp refining in a PFI
mill with 4 N/mm pressure.

HANDSHEET MAKING

SCAN: CM 26:76 was followed in case of handsheet making. The target basis
weight was 60 gsm.

PRESSING AND DRYING

After handsheet making, sheets were pressed and dried and they were kept
in the conditioned room overnight before testing.

PAPER TESTING

The conditioned paper was tested for mechanical and optical properties
according to the following standards.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Banana Stem Fiber Paper Properties
The fiber morphology and chemical composition study of banana pseudo-
stem used for this investigation are shown in Table 1. The first remark
concerns the high amount of ash (approximately 16%), which is common for
annual plants. The ash content is high for industry processing. The second
remark is the low amount of lignin, i.e., approximately 15%, to compare with
other annual plants. In spite of the high content of ash, this raw material is
worth pulping, mainly because of its relatively low lignin content. The quan-
tity of extractives in methanol/benzene (1:2) was 3.52% that is medium when
compared with other wood and some other annual plants. Hollocellulose
is a collective term referring to the entire polysaccharide portion of wood
(Andreasson et al. 2003).

TABLE 1 Fiber morphology and chemical composition of banana stem fiber

[spanname=“2 to 5”] [spanname=“6 to 11”]
Fiber morphology Chemical composition

Banana Fiber Fiber Fines Hollocellulose Lignin Pentosans Ash Extractives Solubility
stem length width Coarseness (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%)

1.73 mm 31.4 µm 0.15 mg/m 21 61.5 14.9 12.8 15.7 3.52 14.91
204 M. Z. H. Khan et al.

TABLE 2 Bleaching result after every stage

Parameter D0 EP D1

Residual ClO2 (g/L) 0.064 − 0.125

Residual H2 O2 (g/L) – 0.012 –
Kappa number 14.90 11.21 6.4
Brightness % ISO 19.36 32.34 44.81
Viscosity 790 620 585
End pH – – 5.91

Banana stem was cooked by the kraft process with different chemical
charges and a wide range of time and temperature, and the optimal pulping
conditions were established as in our previous work (Khan et al. 2013). The
highest yield 48.61% can be obtained with a relatively small alkali charge
(14%) within 120 min at 170 ◦ C.
Before bleaching, the pulp was oxygen delignified (high-yield pulp was
selected). After oxygen delignification, the kappa was 19.9. After cooking,
brightness was 6.56% ISO, after oxygen delignification brightness was 8.42%
ISO. The bleaching employed was three-stage bleaching (Table 2). The
sequence was D0 -E P -D1 , where pulp was bleached with high bleaching
chemical charge, the pH was controlled within the specified range, and the
pulp was washed several times with distilled water. Bleached pulps were
selected for refining in PFI mill at different revolutions and the important
paper properties were tested.
The main functions of refining are to fibrillate, crush/collapse, and cut
pulp fibers so as to make them conform to the property requirements of the
final products. An increase in the pulp-refining degree entailed an increase in
the ratio of fines. The fiber lengths exhibited an inverse relationship with the
degree of refining; the fiber population values showed a positive correlation
with the degree of refining. The effect of PFI revolution on beating was
shown in Figure 1a. The result shows that the strength ratio (SR) increases
with the increase of rev/min in PFI mill. The rate of increase of SR is very
slow up to 4000 rev/min. This means that the banana fiber also behaves like
other wood and non-wood pulps.
The sheet density increases with increased beating and wet pressing
(Figure 1b). The more flexible beaten fibers adjust themselves easily to other
fibers. This leads to increased bonded area and more densely packed fibers
in the sheet. The effect of different beatings on roughness was shown in
Figure 1c. Roughness decreases with the increase of beating. The roughness
of the top side of handsheet is slightly more than that of the bottom side. The
effect of beating on air permeability has been shown in Figure 1d. The value
of air permeability of handsheet made from banana fiber is dramatically low.
The result shows that refined samples give less air permeability and the value
decreases as beating increases. It is because of this that the paper gets denser
after refining and that there is less room inside the sheet.
 Paper Making from Banana Pseudo-Stem 205

800 (b)
70 (a)

Density gm/m3
750
65
°SR

60 700

55 650

50 600
–500 500 1500 2500 3500 50 55 60 65 70
°SR
PFI rev/min

3000 (c) 80 (d)

Air permeability mL/min

Roughness bendtsen

2500 60
mL/min

2000 40

1500 20

1000 0
50 55 60 65 70
50 55 60 65 70 °SR
°SR

(e) 9 (f)
55
Tear Index mNm2/g

8.5
Tensile Index Nm/g

50 8

7.5

45 7

6.5

40 6
50 55 60 65 70 50 55 60 65 70
°SR
°SR

FIGURE 1 Relation between ◦ SR and beating (a). Effect of different beating on (b) density;
(c) roughness; (d) air permeability; (e) tensile index; and (f) tear index of banana paper.

Tensile strength increases with the increase of beating (Figure 1e). The
effect of kappa number on tensile strength with the same beating degree is
very small at the beginning of beating. It seems that higher lignin content
pulps can be beaten to higher tensile strength than pulps of lower lignin
content (Andreasson et al. 2003; Gurnagul et al. 1992).
Tear index decreases with the increase of beating but at high revolution
the rate is low. The higher lignin content pulp shows a little higher tear index
than that of the lower lignin content pulp. At high degree of beating, pulp
206 M. Z. H. Khan et al.

90 Opacity

Light Scattering
70
Co-efficient

Different value range Absorption Co-

50 efficient

Brightness
30

10

–10
50 55 60 65 70
°SR

FIGURE 2 Effect of beating on optical properties of handsheet.

of highest lignin content seems to have lowest tear index. Figure 1f shows
the effect of beating on tear index.
The effect of beating on different optical properties is shown in Figure 2.
Refining increased the bonding of fibers and led to the decrease of light scat-
tering coefficient (S), but did not change the light absorption coefficient (K),
and finally resulted in lower brightness of refined pulp than the unrefined
one. Refining increased the relative bonded area between fibers and thus
decreased the space inside the paper, and hence the scattering coefficients
decreased and led to a drop in the opacity (Hillend 1966).
Opacity of the paper depends on the light scattering coefficient of the
fibers. But in qualified printing papers, the fillers are the main contributor to
light scattering, at the same time they do not contribute at all to strength or
bulk. They also have a dominating influence on the brightness of the paper
when fully bleached pulps are used, since they often have a higher apparent
light absorption coefficient than the pulps.

Comparison of Paper Properties Between Banana Fibers Together

with Other General Raw Materials
HANDSHEET PROPERTIES

Handsheet properties at different PFI revolutions were obtained by interpo-

lation of the experimental data. Banana paper properties were compared
with well-known paper taken from literature. The tensile index of banana
paper is lower than eucalyptus, birch, and soft wood (Figure 3). The density
of banana paper is lower than birch and some soft wood.
 Paper Making from Banana Pseudo-Stem 207

Banana Birch Eucalyptus Soft wood

100

80

Tensile Index Nm/g 60

40

20

0
10 20 30 40 50 60
°SR

FIGURE 3 Comparison of the tensile strength of banana paper with other raw materials.

The strength properties depend on the ◦ SR. The beating and the ten-
sile index vary in the same direction. The pulp contains a fraction of much
smaller material, called the fine fraction. Refining of the pulp increases the
fines’ amount. A negative feature of fines is decreasing dewatering capac-
ity of the pulp with increased amount of fines. The results show that the
banana stem pulps studied have moderate strength. Beating did not increase
the tensile index of the pulp but increased the drainage time very con-
siderably. Important issues at the wet end of the paper mill are drainage
properties, the surface charge on the fibers (of importance for the retention
of chemicals and for formation/retention on the wire), and surface area, to
a great extent depending on the creation of fines (adsorption of chemicals,
retention, etc.). Again, the most important thing is consistent properties of
the fibers. The methods commonly used for the determination of drainage
properties and drainage resistance according to Schopper–Riegler, Canadian
Standard Freeness, and water retention value (WRV), have limited relevance
and should be used only for relative comparisons of similar fibers. However,
for good runnability, adequate tensile and tear strength is needed (Rao
and Mohana 2007). Therefore, banana fiber cannot be used as furnish for
reinforcement for writing and printing paper.
Tensile index and density are strongly related by a more or less lin-
ear relationship. A greater packing of the fibers leads to greater possibilities
for contacts between fibers and hence for bonding. Differences in this rela-
tionship between different pulps are therefore small, although they are still
sufficient to be of importance to the papermaker. The property pair of
tear index–tensile index is commonly used for the characterization of pulp
strength. It is used in different ways depending on how the interpretation is
to be made. A successful use is in the determination of the so-called strength
delivery (tear strength at a certain tensile index of a pulp from the digester
in question compared to that of laboratory cooking under ideal conditions)
208 M. Z. H. Khan et al.

Banana Birch Eucalyptus Soft wood

16

14

Tear Index mNm2/g

12

10

2
10 20 30 40 50 60
°SR

FIGURE 4 Comparison of the tear strength of banana paper with other raw materials.

for determining the permanent damage to the fibers from different digesters
(MacLeod et al. 1987). Other uses may be somewhat doubtful, for instance
attempts to relate the reinforcing ability of a pulp in wood-containing print-
ing papers to the relation between tear index and tensile index, which have
been questioned (Rogers 1998).
Tear strength measures a substantially more complex form of stress
transmission than tensile strength. Tear is a measure of the energy that is
required to propagate an out-of-plane tear failure line over a predetermined
distance in a sheet of paper. The characteristic tear-refining curve shown in
Figure 4 illustrates that the maximum-attainable tear strength occurs at low
levels of beating, and thereafter the tear strength declines continuously. The
theoretical explanation generally advanced to explain this behavior can only
be accounted for by the increase in bonding reflected by the fibers that are
more securely held in a network, resulting in more fiber breakage and fewer
fiber pull-outs as the tear failure line propagates.
The relationship between light scattering coefficient and tensile index is
primarily dependent upon the specific surface of the dry fibers (Figure 5). It is
also somewhat affected by deterioration in the tensile strength development
during beating. The specific surface is an important fiber characteristic and
the contribution of a pulp to light scattering is no doubt influenced by it,
although it is not the only factor that determines the light scattering and
opacity of a commercial paper.
Pressing or any procedure changing the physical appearance of the
sheet highly influences its scattering capacity. Both beating the pulp and
pressing a paper sheet result in a higher degree of bonding and a denser
sheet with less light scattering interfaces (Rogers 1998). The light scattering
 Paper Making from Banana Pseudo-Stem 209

Light Scattering Coefficient (m2/kg)

50 Banana Birch Eucalyptus Soft wood

40

30

20

10

0
10 20 30 40 50 60
°SR

FIGURE 5 Comparison of the light scattering co-efficient of banana paper with other raw
materials.

is to some extent affected also by the difference in refractive index between

the interfaces. The refractive index, and thus the light scattering, is highere
between air and fibers with high lignin content than between air and fully
bleached fibers.

CONCLUSION

The main objective of this study was to establish the suitability of banana
stem fiber as a potential source of lignocellulosic fibers for paper making.
Paper-making properties were characterized by low strength. The handsheet
density value was very high with high roughness. The air permeability was
very poor. Compare with other raw materials, the optical properties were
found to be extremely poor. Because of the lowest quality of its pulp, it
is not suitable for fine paper making. However, there is scope for further
research to completely characterize the banana fibers and facilitate proper
applications in paper/board industries.

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