Improving performance of bamboo fluff pulp by liquid hot water pretreatment and combination with longer fibers

Bamboo has several disadvantages as a raw material for the preparation of fluff pulp, including short fiber length, a high proportion of hemicellulose and high levels of fines and non-fibrous cells. Here, the proportion of hemicellulose was reduced by liquid hot water (LHW) pretreatment. The bamboo was then kraft cooked, screened through a 100 mesh screen plate to remove fines and non-fibrous cells, and bleached to prepare bamboo pulp fibers. Changes in the functional groups and crystallinity after LHW pretreatment were investigated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Analysis of the cross-sectional and surface morphology of the bamboo before and after pretreatment and of the surface morphology of the fluff pulp by field emission scanning electron microscopy showed that LHW pretreatment effectively removes hemicellulose from the bamboo. Combination of the bamboo pulp fibers with softwood fiber or cotton linter fiber produced a fluff pulp fiber with improved strength and water absorption. The new bamboo-cotton and bamboo-wood mixed fiber fluff pulps outperformed a branded commercial fluff pulp.