Faten Mannai

By Faten Mannai, Hanedi Elhleli, Ramzi Khiari and Younes Moussaoui

This chapter gives a brief overview of the cellulose extraction from Opuntia (Cactaceae) fibers. The suitability of this food waste for pulp and paper production was investigated by the determination of the chemical composition and testing two procedures of delignification: chemical and semichemical pulping processes. Chemical pulping procedure was carried out by using soda-anthraquinone (soda-AQ) mixture, and semichemical pulping process was performed by softening the raw material using soda-hydrogen peroxide (soda-HP) mixture; this operation was followed by mechanical grinding. The obtained fibrous suspensions were characterized by measuring their dimension parameters (fiber length, fiber width, and fine elements), polymerization degree, and their retention water capacity. The effect of pulping process on yield and fiber characteristics in each pulp was studied. The surface morphologies of the produced papers were studied using scanning electron microscope (SEM), and results show the good distribution and individuality of fibers. The structural and mechanical properties of the prepared paper were presented and discussed. Mechanical strength results show the good tenacity of papers made from soda-HP pulping process.

Part of the book: Food Preservation and Waste Exploitation

By Faten Mannai, Ramzi Khiari and Younes Moussaoui

Lignocellulosic fibers from Opuntia biomass, family Cactaceae, were mainly studied for their sustainability and cellulose content richness. This chapter highlights the current exploitation of Opuntia (Cactaceae) as potential feedstock for value-added applications such as reinforcement in composites and paper manufacturing. Cellulosic fibrous network fractions were isolated from different plant parts, and their fundamental properties, chemical and structural compositions, were analyzed, and the obtained results were discussed. The obtained fibrous networks were incorporated into two thermoplastic polymers; their enhancement properties and biodegradability have been studied. However, different recent methods of cellulose fiber extractions (pulping) and paper manufacturing have been investigated by testing two procedures of delignification: chemical and semi-chemical pulping process; these operations were followed by fibrous suspension characterizations and paper productions. The obtained results show the suitability of Opuntia (Cactaceae) for the new trend in ecological and green materials.

Part of the book: Invasive Species