Author(s)

S. Suzuki, K. Okubo & T. Fujii

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop a high strength paper fabricated with bamboo single fibers. The fibers were extracted from Moso bamboo trees between two months to four years old. The experiments in this study showed the differences of mechanical properties and dimensions of single fibers according to the age of the bamboo. The mechanical properties of the paper fabricated with the bamboo single fibers were also measured. To increase the adhesive area of bamboo fibers in the paper, parenchyma cells were additionally supplied into the material of the paper. The effect of the weight content of the parenchyma cell on the tensile strength was discussed to determine the appropriate ratio of enhancements. The superior mechanical properties of elastic modulus and the tensile strength of single fibers were obtained when relatively young bamboo was selected as the material. Two year old bamboo has proper parenchyma cells for the heat-sealing between fibers to improve the strength of paper fabricated with bamboo fibers. The tensile strength of the paper was improved when the bamboo paper contained 10% parenchyma cells by weight. Keywords: bamboo, paper, parenchyma cell, single fiber, adhesion, age of bamboo, cellulose. 1 Introduction World paper consumption was about 300 million tons in 1996/1997 and is expected to rise above 400 million tons by the year 2010 [1]. In view of the shortage of conventional raw materials for pulping and increasing demand for paper products worldwide, bamboo, which grows quickly, has attracted public

Keywords

bamboo, paper, parenchyma cell, single fiber, adhesion, age ofbamboo, cellulose.