Effect of bleaching on coir fibre pulp and paper properties

The utilisation of coir fibre can create economic and environmental advantages. This study was carried out to investigate the influence of bleaching and pulping on the properties of coir fibre pulp and paper. The coir fibre pulp was chemically analysed; pulped by chemical-mechanical pulping (CMP) process and bleached by elementary chlorine free (ECF) process with four stages of chlorine dioxide (D) and alkali extraction (E). Sheets or paper were made from the unbleached and bleached coir fibre pulp. The results showed that in the paper making process, the coconut coir has chemical properties that can be successfully pulped by the CMP and bleached by the ECF processes. The DEDED sequences can be used in bleaching the coir pulps. The bleached pulp produced paper with better tensile index, burst index, tear index, folding endurance as well as brightness properties but has lower opacity compared to the unbleached pulp. The bleaching process also improved the bonding strength of the coir fibre in the paper due to removal of lignin