PUCKERBRUSH PULPING STUDIES

A STUDY WAS MADE OF THE POTENTIAL OF WEED TREES AND SHRUBS, CALLED PUCKERBRUSH, NATIVE TO THE STATE OF MAINE AS A SOURCE OF FIBER FOR THE PAPER INDUSTRY. SIX SPECIES, GRAY BIRCH, RED MAPLE, PIN CHERRY, ASPEN, ALDER, AND WILLOW WERE USED IN THE STUDY. PREPARATION OF SAMPLES FOR PULPING, COOKING PROCEDURE, BLEACHING PROCEDURE, PULP TEST PROCEDURES, AND THE MICROSCOPIC ANALYSIS OF FIBERS ARE DISCUSSED. THE SULFATE PROCESS WAS USED IN THE PULPING STUDY. FOR ALL SPECIES, THE STEMWOOD WITHOUT BARK PRODUCED THE HIGHEST COOK YIELD AND STRONGEST PULP. BRANCH PULP WAS GENERALLY SUPERIOR TO STUMP AND ROOT PULP IN BURST AND TENSILE STRENGTH, BUT WAS INFERIOR IN TEAR. NO CONSISTENT CORRELATION BETWEEN FIBER DIMENSIONS AND PAPER STRENGTH COULD BE ESTABLISHED FOR ALL SPECIES.