Variation of chemical characteristics and pulpability of dhaincha (Sesbania bispinosa) on location

Dhaincha (Sesbania bispinosa (Jacq.) Wight) is a crop generally cultivated for improving soil quality. Due to the lack of forest worldwide, alternative source of raw materials for cellulose industries is the main concern today. In this investigation, dhaincha samples of 21 accessions were collected from different districts of Bangladesh in order to study the variation of chemical characteristics and its pulpability. The lignin, pentosan and α-cellulose content were varied from 21 to 23%, 16 to 18% and 38 to 43%, respectively. The highest and lowest α-cellulose contents were found in two location of Mymensingh district. There was no correlation was found among the districts. Therefore, pulping of dhaincha from selected seven districts was carried out in kraft process at the conditions of 18% active alkali at 170o C for 2 h. But the pulping properties did not show any mentionable distinction for place variation. Average pulp yield is 42.9% with kappa number 11. The highest brightness 85% was reached with D₀E_pD₁bleaching. The papermaking properties were very close to the conventional raw materials used in Bangladesh. Therefore, dhaincha can be used as a raw material for pulp production in Bangladesh.