Potential of bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris) as a source of raw material for pulp and paper in Ghana

Laboratory studies were carried out to determine the pulping characteristics of a local variety of Bambusa vulgaris. The fibre length of 2.65mm and Runkel Ratio of 1.03 suggest that bamboo fibres might be suitable for pulp and paper-making. The bamboo with a lignin content of 26.8% and cellulose of 61.2% was cooked with 18% active alkali for 90mins to obtain a yield of 54.2% and kappa number of 48.2%. The pulp evaluations showed that it is not necessary to separate the node from the internode during pulping. The physical and strength properties of the pulp produced also showed that the bamboo can make good papers