Effect of new organic filler made from oil palm biomass on paperboard properties

Abstract

As the production of palm oil has been increased, the generation of oil palm biomass is also increased and the utilization of the oil palm biomass become more significant topic. One third of the oil palm biomass is empty fruit bunch (EFB) and the other two thirds are oil palm trunks and fronds. However, the effective use of oil palm biomass has not been developed and most of it is discarded near oil palm plants. In this study, we investigated the applicability of EFB to the paperboard mills, as an organic filler. The new organic filler was manufactured in a laboratory by grinding and fractionating dried EFB powder, and its properties were analyzed. The particles of EFB organic filler were larger and more spherical than those of the commercial wood powder. The use of EFB organic filler resulted in a higher bulk of the handsheets with similar trends of physical strength, compared to those made with wood powder. It was concluded that EFB could be used as a raw material to manufacture organic filler for paperboard production.