DESC:DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to paper industry;
Particularly, the present invention relates to preparation of paper pulp.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
With the improvement in technology and the advent of the printing press and the mechanical harvesting of wood, disposable paper became more affordable for the average consumer. This resulted in a drastic increase in consumption and of course, waste – which all contributed to Paper Pollution.
The utilization of pulp and paper products has increased tremendously during this modern era. Paper and paper products are used in various industries like packaging, pharmaceuticals, Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG). Paper today pervades almost all activities of man and it can be said without exaggeration that human activities will be severely affected if paper disappears. With the growing literacy and industrialization consumption of paper naturally rises. The main raw material for paper production is cellulose which is obtained from forest raw materials like softwood, hardwood, bamboo etc. Due to the continuous utilization of these raw materials, scarcity of them is observed. Therefore, alternate raw materials are searched to replace the conventional raw materials. Moreover, nowadays papermills use recycled pulp as their raw material but it has various drawbacks like less strength properties, short fiber length etc.
Banana cultivation is a globally vital cultivation with around 97.5 million tons of production. In India, it supports the livelihood of millions of people with total annual production of 16.91 million tons from 490.70 thousand ha. Banana contributes 37% to total fruit production in India and occupies 20% area among the total area for crop cultivation in India. After harvest of banana bunch, Pseudo-stem is considered as waste and therefore, its use in paper making industry would prove beneficial for both farmers and producers.0020
The present invention describes a method of preparation of paper pulp from banana pseudo-stem.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a method of production of paper pulp using banana pseudo stem;
Further object of the present invention is to provide a sustainable and environment friendly method of paper pulp production.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present disclosure present technological improvements as solution to one or more of the above-mentioned technical problems recognized by the inventor in conventional practices and existing state of the art.
The present disclosure seeks to provide a method of preparation of paper pulp from banana pseudo-stem.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the method for preparation of paper pulp from banana pseudo-stem, the said method comprising the steps of: harvesting a banana pseudo stem; chipping the banana pseudo stem horizontally into chips of size ranging between 0.9mm to 2.5mm; steaming the chips at 95 – 970C temperature for 10 to 15 minutes; washing the steamed chips and again steaming them at 100 – 1600C; feeding the chips to thermo-mechanical pulping machine for separation of fibers under high pressure at 1500 rpm yielding pulp which is washed, bleached and dried.
In accordance with preferred aspect of the present invention, the said method is characterized by 10:1 ratio of raw banana pseudo stem to dry pulp.
The objects and the advantages of the invention are achieved by the process elaborated in the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The following detailed description illustrates embodiments of the present disclosure and ways in which the disclosed embodiments can be implemented. Although some modes of carrying out the present disclosure have been disclosed, those skilled in the art would recognize that other embodiments for carrying out or practicing the present disclosure are also possible.
The present invention provides a method of preparation of paper pulp from banana pseudo-stem.
Paper is actually a multi-functional biomass product, which can be made of renewable woods, grass, rags, waste paper, and other materials. No matter which material is used for papermaking, the first step is always to dissolve the material into pulp.
Modern pulp production is based on the best available technologies and concepts, creating more products with less raw materials, water, energy, and environmental impact. Today, the most commonly used pulp making methods are chemical pulping, chemi-mechanical pulping, and mechanical pulping.
No matter which pulping method is used, the material must be broken down into its constituent elements in order to separate the fibers. The pulping process produces a large number of individual fibers. The fibers are then washed and screened to remove any remaining fiber bundles. The water is then pressed out and the residue is dried. The present invention describes a bio-organic animal repellant.
The paper pulp is then ready to be used directly for natural paper manufacturing or it can be bleached for bleached white paper manufacturing. The paper pulp will be fed directly to paper pulper machines in integrated paper mills. Alternatively, it will be dried and pressed into bales ready for use as a raw material in paper mills worldwide. The paper pulp production process is more than energy self-sufficient generating wood-based bioenergy for the national electricity grids. Moreover, paper pulp manufactured from softwood can generate valuable by-products and production residues such as lignin, turpentine, and tall oil which can be further processed to innovative products.
The present invention uses banana pseudo stem for production of paper pulp in a sustainable way reducing the overall costs associated with paper pulp production
The chemicals used in the conventional production process of paper is also huge. This can be curated by this invention leading to a sustainable production process.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the banana pseudo stem is to be harvested within 15 days of the banana bunch. Raw material which is present one foot above the root and one foot below the leaves of banana plant is known as Banana pseudo-stem. The pseudo-stem is a part of the banana plant that looks like a trunk, which consists of a soft central core and tightly wrapped up to 25 leaf sheaths. These leaf sheaths unwrap from the stem and transform to recognizable banana leaves when they have matured.
According to further embodiments of the present invention, the pseudo stem is to be fed horizontally for chipping and the chip size need to be in between 0.9mm to 2.5mm size. After chipping, the chips are softened in the pre steaming vessel.
In the pre-steaming vessel, chips are steamed at 95-970C temperature for 10 to 15 minutes to soften them. These softened chips are passed through the washer. to remove unwanted material and then dewatered.
According to further embodiment of the present invention, the chips are further steamed at 100 to 1600C and then sent to thermo-mechanical pulper. The thermo-mechanical pulping process uses refiners to defiber chips that are softened in a pre-steaming vessel. In thermomechanical pulping, pressurized steam is applied before and during refining to raise the wood temperature to soften the lignin. Chips are preheated and refined in a pressurized refiner called the “primary stage.” The pulp from this stage is then refined in a “second stage”.
Chip are fed to the thermo-mechanical pulper through a narrow gap between a static disc and a rotating disc where the fibers are separated under high pressure at 1500rpm (rotations per minute). Water present in the chip vaporizes due to the heat and pressure produced during the process. Steam is harvested by steam harvest cyclone and the fibers are passed through plug screw feeder to thermo-mechanical pulper where the fibers are separated under high pressure at 1500rpm speed yielding pulp.
According to further embodiments of the present invention, the pulp is screened to remove fibers that have not been separated properly and then pulp is sent to dewater.
According to further embodiments of the present invention, the dewatered pulp is sent to bleaching refiner where the pulp is bleached as per the end product requirement like brightness and kappa number. Then pulp is washed with water to remove bleaching chemicals and then dewatered to make sure all bleaching chemical have been removed. Then pulp is sent to drying unit wherein the pulp is fed to the cylindrical dryer producing pulp sheet.
The method in accordance to the embodiments disclosed is characterized by dry weight ratio of the raw banana pseudo stem to dry pulp as 10:1.
,CLAIMS:I Claim:
1. A Method for preparation of paper pulp from banana pseudo-stem, the said method comprising the steps of:
- harvesting a banana pseudo stem;
- chipping the banana pseudo stem horizontally into chips of size ranging between 0.9mm to 2.5mm;
- steaming the chips at 950C – 970C temperature for 10 to 15 minutes;
- washing the steamed chips and again steaming them at 1000C – 1600C;
- feeding the chips to thermo-mechanical pulper machine for separation of fibers under high pressure at 1500 rpm yielding pulp;
characterized by the dry weight ratio of the raw banana pseudo stem to dry pulp as 10:1.
2. The method as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the banana pseudo stem is harvested within 15 days of the banana bunch harvest.
3. The method as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the pulp is screened to remove fibers that have not been separated and pulp is processed to removed water content.
4. The method as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the dewatered pulp is bleached depending upon the brightness and kappa number desired, washed with water and sent to cylindrical dryer which produces pulp sheet.