RESSEL D.S.

TATAD
8 – ADELFA

PULP AND PAPER-MAKING POTENTIAL OF CORN HUSK

ABSTRACT
The threat on forest woods and environmental sustainability has led to an aggressive research into the suitability of
several agricultural waste materials for pulp and paper production. Given this, the present study makes an inquest into
the paper making potential of cornhusk in Nigeria. Thus, the results of the chemical analysis of the lingo-cellulosic material
gives a lignin, cellulose, alcohol- cyclohexane solubility and ash values of about 15%, 44%, 4.57%, and 5.09% respectively.
The assessment of fiber morphology of corn husk also confirms that it has short fiber similar to various hardwoods, whose
length is <2 mm. Fiber diameter (21.89±5.1 µm), lumen width (6.63±3.5µm), and cell wall thickness (7.63±2.3 µm) were
also determined. Runnel ratio, slenderness ratio, coefficient of flexibility and wall rigidity values were calculated from the
fiber dimension. The strength of hand sheet obtained from cornhusk was tested and the results show that paper from
corn husk has considerable strength. However, it is anticipated that the sheet qualities in terms of mechanical strength
and tearing resistance can be improved upon by mixing the pulp of corn husks with pulp of non-wood plants with long
fibers

INTRODUCTION
Heightened concerns on increasing wood consumption and raw-material availability for the paper industry have resulted in
a renewed attention on the benefits inherent in several non-wood fiber plants, with annual or biannual harvests
(JorgeGominhoet al. 2001). Several agricultural food crop residues including rice husk, corn straw, okras talks, corn stalk,
banana bunch, pineapple leaf and corn husks which do not have immediate beneficial applications in many communities
have been proposed to be potential sources of pulp (Kamogaetal. 2013). Since all these plant materials contain cellulose in
form of fibers, they stand to be potential sources for pulp with lesser environmental degradation threat than wood which is
traditionally the most widely used ligno-cellulosic material in the production of pulp, furniture and boards of diverse types,
as well as being a source of energy (Ekhuemelo and Tor, 2013). Non-wood plants offer several advantages including short
growth cycles, moderate irrigation and fertilization requirements and low lignin content to alleviate energy and chemicals
used during pulping (Hurteret al. 1998). Among these agricultural residues, corn husks have been the subject of a very
limited amount of research interest as a fiber source. According to Iken, and Amusa,(2004), corn or maize (Zeamays) is a
major important cereal being cultivated in the rainforest and the derived Savannah zones of Nigeria. The authors
stressed further that corn has been in the diet of Nigerians for centuries and has now risen to commercial crop on
which many agro-based industries depend on as raw materials. Husks of maize or corn, peeled off and discarded after
harvest, constitute a menace to the environment because they are classified as waste with no beneficial importance.
Hence, they litter every major roads and streets in most developing countries like Nigeria. The present study therefore
aims at investigating the paper-making potential of corn husks via the determination of its fiber morphology, chemical
composition as well as the strength of paper sheets produced from the material
METHODOLOGY
2.1 Chemical characterization of corn husk
Chemical analysis of corn husk meal was carried out based on the respective Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper
Industry (TAPPI) standards for the different components. Alcohol-Cyclohexane solubility, lignin, Ash and cellulose content
swore determined according to Tappi Standard Test Methods: 2007 (Wise,et al. 1946; Duttet al. 2009).The results
presented in Table 1 are reported as percentage of the oven-dry weight sample.

2.2 Fiber Morphology

Fiber morphology was investigated according to the approach employed by Jorge (1999). Fiber length, fiber diameter,
lumen width and cell-wall thickness were measured using a stage reticule and an eyepiece micrometer under a Zeiss
microscope (Standard25) ×80 magnification. Twenty (20) fibers were measured from the fiber suspension to keep error
below 5% for a 95% confidence level. Four derived values including slenderness ratio, flexibility coefficient, runkel ratio
and wall rigidity were calculated using information obtained from the fiber dimensions (Saikia
et al. 1997; Ogbonnayaet al.1997). The values obtained are presented in Table 2and Table 3 and this compared to those of
some non-wood plants, softwoods and hardwoods.

2.3 Pulping study and Pulp Characterization

Air-dried corn husk was chopped manually into about10 – 12mm long pieces and was cooked in a 5 L pressure pot using
soda pulping process. 50 g (Oven-dry weight) of corn husk was placed in the pot together with 10 % soda with a liquid/solid
ratio of6:1 and pulped at 122C, 80 KP a pressure for 50minutes. Following pulping, the cooked material was thoroughly
washed to remove residual cooking liquor and fiber zed in a laboratory disintegrator for 10 min Fiber zed material passed
through a screen in order to remove uncooked particles. The screened pulp was washed, pressed, drained and allowed to dry to
a moisture content of 10% at room temperature. Pulp yield was calculated as percentage of the oven-dry weight of the chips
together with rejected proportion. Kappa number measurement was also determined. Table 4 shows the results of
pulp characterization.

2.4 Preparation and testing of laboratory paper sheets

Laboratory paper sheets 134g/m 2were obtained from the fiber zed corn husk pulp by (T 205 om-88) and tested for tensile
strength properties such as modulus of elasticity, elongation at break, breaking length and tensile stiffness according to
TAPPI T 220 ―Physical Testing of Pulp Hand sheets.

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION3.1 Chemical characteristics of corn husk

The results of the chemical analysis of corn husks how that cellulose, which is the major chemical component of fiber wall
make up approximately 44%of the corn husks. Low lignin content has been reported as one of the advantages inherent in
the use of non-wood materials for pulp production. Materials with low lignin contents require relatively small amount of
chemical for pulping (Hurt ret al. 1998).This study shows that corn husk contains low lignin of approximately 15%.
Several non-wood materials, such as Kenaf, wheat straw, sorghum stalks and oat straw have also been reported to contain ≤
20% lignin (Manfred, 1993; Jimenezet al. 1993; Alcaideet al.1990). Relatively, moderate solubility in ethanol
cyclohexane mixture (4.57 %) was achieved during the process.

3.2 Fiber dimensions

An important feature of non-wood fibers is the wide variability among the lengths of the fibers of different species. In
addition to fiber length, analysis of fiber characteristics such as fibers diameter, lumen width, cell-wall thickness and their
derived morphological factors have become important in estimating pulp quality of fibers (Dinwoodie, 1965; Amidon,
1981; Wood, 1981). Short fibers do not produce good surface contact and fiber-to-fiber bonding (Ogbonnayaet al. 1997).
This, amongst other factors, has led to the conclusion that hardwood pulps are lower in paper strength because of their
shorter fibers(<2mm) than those of softwoods with longer fibers. Thus, papers produced from short fibers have low
mechanical strength and tearing resistance (Ververis et al. 2004). Subsequent studies have however, shown that fiber length
possibly is not the overriding factor in producing paper with acceptable strength(Alexander and Marton.1968;
Annegren, et al. 1963;Horn, 1974).As compared to other non-wood plants, fibre length of corn husk of 1.71 mm falls
within the same range as giant reeds of 1.18 mm (GiselaMarques,et al.2010), switch grass of 1.15
mm(Ververiset al. 2004), and hardwood fibers such as Gmelina arborea of 1.48 mm (Sharma M., 2013).Fibres with
large lumen and thin walls tend to flatten to ribbons during papermaking with enhanced inter-fibre bonding between fibres
and consequently having good strength characteristics (Panshin, and de Zeeuw, 1980). The values of fibre diameter,
lumenwidth and thickness of corn husk; 21.89 µm, 6.63µm, and 7.63 µm respectively, reported in this study are
closely related to that reported by Ekhuemelo andTor (2013).

3.2.1 Derived values

Runkel ratio, slenderness ratio, and flexibility coefficient are important indices derive to determine the suitability of material
for pulp and papermaking. The results of these indices show that corn husks has a runkel ratio of 2.30 similar to Almond
tree (Ververiset al. 2004) but higher than Gmelinaarborea and various weeds (Sharma M., 2013).Slenderness ratio, a
measure of tearing property of pulp in paper is determined from fiber length and f iber diameter. Slenderness ratio of fibrous
material more than 33 is considered to be good for pulp and paper production (Xu et al., 2006). Given this, Cornhusk with
slenderness ratio 78.12 can be considered to be perfectly suited for paper making. Flexibility coefficient is governed by
lumen diameter and fiber diameter. It determines the degree of fiber bonding in paper sheet (Sharmaet al.
2013). However, the result of this study shows that corn husk has a flexibility coefficient of 30 which is less than values
between 50-75 considered for highly elastic and elastic fibers (Bektas, 1999).
3.3 Tensile strength of paper sheet
The mechanical and strength properties of paper reflect the intrinsic chemistry, morphology, and structure of the individual
fibers as well as the network structure of the paper (Caulfield and Gunderson, 1988). Based on the results of pulp
characterization, conventional hand sheets were produced from the pulp. Test of tensile strength was done on the paper
sample obtained from pulp of cornhusk and the data obtained is presented in Table 5.The result shows that corn husk could
be considered as a promising raw material for paper making applications. However, it must be noted that residual lignin,
impurities, pulp consistency, degree of pulp beating, relative humidity of the environment are few of the factors that could
influence the properties of paper sheets produce from any pulp. The dimensions and strength of the individual fibers, their
arrangement, and the extent to which they are bonded to each other are all important factors contributing to test results.
Table 5: Strength properties of paper sheets produced from pulp of corn husksModulus of Elasticity 11.894Tensile stiffness
(m) 0.012Tensile index (Nm/g) 3.23Elongation at break (mm) 4.349Breaking Length (m) 329.46

4. CONCLUSION
The present study assessed the pulp and papermaking potential inherent in corn husks. Fiber morphology of the material
confirmed that it consists of short fibers similar to hardwoods. Chemical characterization of the sample also shows it is
align-cellulosic material with average lignin content, less than 20%, similar to several non-wood plants which help in
reducing the amount of chemical and energy needed for pulping. Other dimensional indices, i.e. runkel ratio, flexibility
coefficient, slenderness ratio and wall rigidity gave a good insight into the qualities of the individual fibers present in the
material. Tensile strength of paper sheet produced from the pulp of corn husk shows that the materials could be considered
as an alternative raw material for papermaking applications. Despite the fact that this study presented relatively poor
flexibility and runnel ratios, pulp produced from cornhusk can be mixed with softwood, hardwood or recycled paper pulps
to produce paper with increased printability, tearing strength and mechanical strength.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors acknowledge financial and technical supports from the management and staff of the Federal Institute of
Industrial Research Oshodi(FIIRO) under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Nigeria.

REFERENCES
Alcaide LJ, Parra IS, Baldovin F (1990) Characterization of Spanish agricultural residues with a view to obtaining cellulose
pulp. TAPPIJournal 73 (5):173 – 176
https://www.academia.edu/29045496/Pulp_and_paper-making_potential_of_corn_husk