Lignin Removal in Handmade Paper Production Using Acetosolve Process with Sugarcane Bagasse and Banana Midrib Mixture as Raw Materials

The production of paper requires cellulose and hemicellulose-rich raw materials. Sugarcane bagasse and banana midrib are two resources that can be utilised to make paper. The acetic acid as the organic solvent was also used to solve the paper production method. This study aims to determine the most effective acetic acid concentration in the delignification (lignin removal) process. The ratio of two raw materials, sugarcane bagasse and banana midrib, yields the best pulp production, cellulose content, and kappa number. The first variable in this study is the concentration of acetic acid used for the delignification process are 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, and 90%; the second is the ratios of the sugarcane bagasse to banana midrib used are 10:0, 9:1, 8:2, 7:3, 6:4, and 5:5 (w/w), with 20:1 (w/v) ratio of the raw materials to acetic acid solution within two hours cooking process. The most optimal acetic acid concentration used for the delignification process was 80%, with a sugarcane bagasse to banana midrib ratio of 6:4 (w/w), resulting in 63.1% of pulp yield, 84.67% of cellulose content and 8.57 of kappa number, respectively. These prove that both sugarcane bagasse and banana midrib can be utilised as promising pulp making materials.