Utilization of Mahogany Leaf Waste as Pulp for Papermaking

Abstract —The demand for pulp as raw material for various products has been increasing in recent years. Since 1998, material sources derived from wood have dominated the world’s total pulp production. Many researchers are looking for non-wood pulp raw materials to reduce global warming. This research aimed to find an alternative non-wood pulp raw material by utilizing mahogany leaf waste. Delignification of mahogany leaf was conducted chemically using NaOH solution with a solid-to-liquid ratio of 1:10. Mahogany leaf with the size of 0.25–0.42 mm was cooked at a temperature of 80 °C for 120 and 140 min. Pulp processed using 20% NaOH with a cooking time of 120 min has the highest alpha cellulose content (59.17%). Pulp processed using 10% NaOH with a cooking time of 120 min has the lowest lignin content (15.81%). Pulp for papermaking must contain more than 40% alpha cellulose content and less than 25% lignin content. Therefore, this research proved that mahogany leaf waste can be used as an alternative non-wood pulp raw material for papermaking. Keywords—mahogany leaf waste; pulp; NaOH; alpha cellulose; lignin