Published Article

The physico-chemical assessment of Raphia hookeri for paper making was carried out. The Raphia piassava were reduced to match-stick sized chips using sharp scissors and matchet. The moisture content of the samples were carried out using gravimetric method. The specific gravity, percentage ash and silica content of the raw material were determined using TAPPI standards. The chemical tests carried out include: 1% NaOH solubles, benzene: ethanol (1:1) solubles, cold and hot water solubles. The results obtained reveal that Raphia hookeri has a low specific gravity of 0.372 which makes it suitable for industrial chip washing by floatation method. With its low ash content of 1.27% and silica content of 0.001%, the piassava could be easily converted to chips in the conventional industrial setting with minimum energy requirement. With the 9% solubles for 1% NaOH, the raw material will require less chemicals to soften the fibres. However, Raphia hookeri piassava should not be stored for a long time to avoid biodegradation and loss in pulp yield as its percentage benzene: ethanol (1:1) soluble of 2.73 is low.