The papermaking properties of Washington State wheat straw

Abstract

Current environmental and social pressures are limiting wood harvest from U.S. public forest land. As a byproduct of the cereal grain industry, wheat straw may also be used for papermaking. However, studies of wheat straw have identified heterogeneity within this potential raw material. The chemical composition and fiber properties of the wheat straw vary with growing condition, wheat cultivar, and with the part of the plant processed. These differences in chemical composition may affect both pulping yield and the nonprocess elements entering the pulp mill. The taller plants have higher average fiber lengths which correlate with pulp strength properties. This local range of growing conditions, cultivars, and the abundance of straw will give papermakers the prospect of selectively collecting the straw best suited for their process and product. With these opportunities, wheat straw has the potential to be an additional industrial papermaking raw material.