New Technology for the Environment: Development of Mimosa as a Materials Substitute for Hardwood Fibers in Paper Manufacturing

这一环境新技术项目的目标是开发造纸加工和农学所需的新技术，使含羞草(合欢)成为精细造纸中替代硬木纤维的可行材料。高质量的书写纸和印刷纸等级需要混合来自针叶木的长纤维和来自硬木的短纤维。硬木不是种植园种植的，这使得获取和适当的重新造林变得困难。含羞草是一种生长迅速的多年生植物，我们的初步研究表明，它的果肉质量与南方硬木相似。本项目重点研究：(1)含羞草对不同制浆和造纸工艺的响应；(2)含羞草对漂白顺序的响应；(3)含羞草在针叶木和阔叶木混合物中的纸张性能；(4)适合含羞草收获的木材年龄；(5)通过收集野生含羞草种质(种子)来改进含羞草的遗传；以及(6)评估该材料的发芽率和早期植物生长。这些实验促进了化学工程、农学和土壤专业以及奥本纸浆和造纸研究与教育中心的教职员工和研究生之间的互动。它包括本科生在实验室课程中的研究经验，以及通过与塔斯基吉大学少数民族学生的本科生暑期交流计划。这项工作对环境的影响将是减少在老树林中采伐硬木，以及与易于制浆、漂白和提炼含羞草纤维相关的能源消耗减少。

The objective of this New Technologies for the Environment project is to develop the new technologies needed in paper processing and agronomy to make mimosa (Albizia julibrissin) a viable materials substitute for hardwood fibers in fine paper manufacturing. Quality writing and printing paper grades require a blend of long fibers derived from softwood and short fibers derived from hardwoods. Hardwoods are not plantation grown, making accessibility and proper reforestation difficult. Mimosa is a fast growing perennial plant and our preliminary studies show that it has pulp with qualities similar to that of southern hardwoods. This project focuses on studies that address: (1) the response of mimosa to different pulping and paper making processes; (2) the response of mimosa to bleaching sequence; (3) the paper properties of mimosa in softwood and hardwood blends; (4) the optimum age of wood for mimosa harvesting; (5) genetic improvement of mimosa by making a germplasm (seed) collection from wild mimosa; and (6) evaluation of germination rate and early plant growth from this material. The experiments synergize interactions among faculty and graduate students from Chemical Engineering, Agronomy and Soils, and the Auburn Pulp and Paper Research and Education Center. It includes research experiences for undergraduates in laboratory courses and through an undergraduate summer exchange program with minority students from Tuskegee University.The environmental impacts of this work will be the reduction in harvesting of hardwoods in old growth forests, and the reduction in energy usage associated with the ease of pulping, bleaching, and refining of the mimosa fibers.