Arundo donax pulp, paper products and particle board

Abstract

Composite panels and pulp, and paper products of the pulp, are produced from Arundo donax. In the fabrication of the composite panels, Arundo donax is comminuted to a suitable size, combined with a binder, and consolidated into panels that meet standards for construction and/or furniture grade panels. The Arundo donax particulates may be combined with wood particulates to produce a mixed furnish that can be used in the preparation of composite panels. Comminuted Arundo donax is treated, in conventional pulping processes, to produce a high tensile strength pulp that can be used in the production of paper. The pulp has a lighter color than wood pulp, and thereby uses less bleaching chemicals to achieve a desired whiteness. The pulp can be combined with wood pulp to produce a variety of products.

1 . An  Arundo donax  chip, wherein the chip is formed from an  Arundo donax  stem by cutting the stem across its length to provide a ring having a substantially circular cross-section and a length from about one-eighth inch to about three inches, and then breaking the ring's circular cross-section.  
   
   
       2 . The chip of  claim 1  wherein the ring has a length from about one-half inch to about one and one-half inches.  
   
   
       3 . The chip of  claim 1  wherein the ring is formed from the stem by a saw cut.  
   
   
       4 . The chip of  claim 1  wherein the ring is formed from the stem by a knife blade.  
   
   
       5 . The chip of  claim 1  wherein the ring is formed from the stem by a veneer cut.  
   
   
       6 . An  Arundo donax  flake, wherein the flake is formed from flaking an  Arundo donax  stem in a flaker.  
   
   
       7 . The flake of  claim 6  having a length from about 2 inches to about 4 inches.  
   
   
       8 . The flake of  claim 6  having a length from about two and one-half inches to about three and one-half inches.  
   
   
       9 . The flake of  claim 6  having a thickness from about one-thirty second inch to about one-eight inch.  
   
   
       10 . The flake of  claim 6  wherein the flaker is a drum flaker.  
   
   
       11 .  Arundo donax  pulp, the pulp comprising fibers obtained from the treatment of  Arundo donax  particles.  
   
   
       12 . The pulp of  claim 11  wherein  Arundo donax  particles are selected from the group consisting of a chip and a flake.  
   
   
       13 . The pulp of  claim 11  wherein the treatment of  Arundo donax  further comprises comminution.  
   
   
       14 . The pulp of  claim 13  wherein the comminution is performed by a hammermill.  
   
   
       15 . The pulp of  claim 13  wherein the comminution is performed by a rotary disc refiner.  
   
   
       16 . The pulp of  claim 11  wherein the treatment comprises kraft pulping.  
   
   
       17 . The pulp of  claim 11  wherein the treatment comprises soda pulping.  
   
   
       18 . The pulp of  claim 11  wherein the treatment comprises alkaline peroxide mechanical pulping.  
   
   
       19 . The pulp of  claim 11  wherein the treatment comprises sulfite pulping.  
   
   
       20 . The pulp of  claim 11  wherein the treatment comprises pulping and bleaching.  
   
   
       21 . The pulp of  claim 20  wherein the bleaching comprises Elemental Chlorine Free bleaching.  
   
   
       22 . The pulp of  claim 11  having a freeness in the range from about 150 to about 750 CSF.  
   
   
       23 . The pulp of  claim 11  wherein the pulp has a brightness of at least about 55% ISO.  
   
   
       24 . The pulp of  claim 11  wherein the pulp has a brightness of at least about 75% ISO.  
   
   
       25 . A method for forming an  Arundo donax  pulp, the method comprising: 
 (a) selecting a furnish comprising  Arundo donax  particles; and    (b) subjecting the furnish to a pulping process to produce a brown stock of pulp having a yield of about 48 percent by weight based on the furnish.    
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 25  wherein the pulping time to achieve a 48% yield and a kappa value of about 15 is about 25% less than required for pulping hardwood to achieve the same yield and kappa value.  
   
   
       27 . A method for forming an  Arundo donax  pulp, the method comprising: 
 (a) selecting a furnish comprising  Arundo donax  particles;    (b) subjecting the furnish to a pulping process to produce a brown stock of pulp having a yield of about 48 percent by weight based on the furnish; and    (c) bleaching the brown stock to a brightness of from about 55 to about 90% ISO.    
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 27  wherein bleaching brown stock to a brightness of about 90% ISO requires 25% less bleach than required for bleaching hardwood to the same brightness.  
   
   
       29 . A method for forming an  Arundo donax  pulp, the method comprising: 
 (a) subjecting  Arundo donax  particles to a bleaching chemical to provide a bleached furnish; and    (b) mechanically refining the bleached furnish to provide a pulp stock having a brightness of from about 55 to about 90% ISO.    
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 25  wherein the  Arundo donax  particle is Selected from the group consisting of a chip and a flake.  
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 29  wherein the bleaching chemical comprises a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, sodium hydroxide, and sodium silicate.  
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 28  wherein the bleaching chemical comprises chlorine dioxide.  
   
   
       33 . A paper product comprising  Arundo donax  pulp.  
   
   
       34 . The paper product of  claim 32  comprising a pulp blend.  
   
   
       35 . The paper product of  claim 33  wherein the pulp blend comprises softwood pulp, hardwood pulp, and mixtures thereof.  
   
   
       36 . The paper product of  claim 33  wherein the pulp blend comprises from about 5 to about 80 percent by weight  Arundo donax  pulp.  
   
   
       37 . The paper product of  claim 32  having a brightness of at least about 82% ISO.  
   
   
       38 . The paper product of  claim 32  having a burst index of at least about 3.0.  
   
   
       39 . The paper product of  claim 32  having a tear index of at least about 8.5.  
   
   
       40 . The paper product of  claim 32  having a tensile index of at least about 50.  
   
   
       41 . The paper product of  claim 32  wherein the product is selected from the group consisting of high brightness printing and writing grade paper.  
   
   
       42 . The paper product of  claim 32  wherein the product is selected from the group consisting of newsprint and publication printing grade paper.  
   
   
       43 . The paper product of  claim 32  wherein the product is selected from the group consisting of unbleached liner and corrugation boards.  
   
   
       44 . A method for forming an  Arundo donax  paper product, comprising: 
 forming an  Arundo donax  furnish comprising fibers and an aqueous dispersion medium;    depositing the furnish onto a foraminous support;    dewatering the deposited furnish to provide a fibrous web; and    drying the web to provide a paper product.    
   
   
       45 . The method of  claim 43  wherein the  Arundo donax  furnish further comprises wood fibers.  
   
   
       46 . An  Arundo donax  composite panel, the composite comprising: 
 (a) a binder resin; and    (b)  Arundo donax  particles bonded into a contiguous material with the resin;    wherein; the composite meets at least the M-3 standard for composite panels.    
   
   
       47 . The panel of  claim 45  wherein the panel comprises from about 1 to about 10 percent by weight of a resin binder based on the total weight of the panel.  
   
   
       48 . The panel of  claim 45  wherein the panel comprises from about 1.5 to about 3.0 percent by weight of a resin binder based on the total weight of the panel.  
   
   
       49 . The panel of  claim 45  wherein the binder is selected from the group consisting of methyl diisocyanate, urea-formaldehyde, phenolic, and inorganic binders.  
   
   
       50 . The panel of  claim 45  wherein the  Arundo donax  furnish further comprises wood fibers.  
   
   
       51 . The panel of  claim 49  having from about 10% to about 90% by weight  Arundo donax  based on the total weight of the panel.  
   
   
       52 . The panel of  claim 49  wherein the bending strength of the panel is increased proportionally relative to the amount of  Arundo donax  in the panel compared to a wood-based panel.  
   
   
       53 . The panel of  claim 49  wherein the moisture resistance of the panel is increased proportionally relative to the amount of  Arundo donax  in the panel compared to a wood-based panel.  
   
   
       54 . The panel of  claim 49  wherein the bending strength of the panel is at least about 55% greater than a similarly constituted wood-based panel.  
   
   
       55 . The panel of  claim 49  wherein the moisture resistance of the panel is about 2.6 times greater than a similarly constituted wood-based panel.  
   
   
       56 . The panel of  claim 49  wherein the bending strength of the panel is about 5% greater than a similarly constituted wheatstraw-based panel.  
   
   
       57 . The panel of  claim 49  wherein the moisture resistance of the panel is 15% greater than a similarly constituted wheatstraw-based panel.  
   
   
       58 . A method of manufacturing an  Arundo donax  composite panel, the method comprising: 
 (a) comminuting  Arundo donax  into particles of a size distribution suitable for use as furnish in a composite panel;    (b) mixing the particles with a binder to provide a binder-particle mixture; and    (c) consolidating the binder-particle mixture into a composite panel.    
   
   
       59 . The method of  claim 50  wherein the particle-binder mixture further comprises wood particles.