Exploration of tree pruning waste for papermaking

The present study was conducted to explore the potential use of tree pruning waste as replacement material in papermaking. The investigation shows that the ultimate tensile strength and Young’s modulus of the fabricated tree pruning waste papers are increased with the elevation of sodium hydroxide concentration, up to 20 % and 15 %, respectively. The morphological analysis confirms the performance improvement of tree pruning waste papers is achieved through the removal of lignin on the fibre surface. The sodium hydroxide concentration must be properly regulated to prevent the tree pruning waste fibres from degradation. The present study confirms the tree pruning waste holds immense potential to be used as the replacement material in papermaking, which, in turns, serve as a guideline to further diversify the use of tree pruning waste.