Effect of NaOH Concentration and Soaking Duration on the Delignification Process of Oil Palm Plantation Weeds as an Alternative Raw Material for Pulp and Paper

Abstract

The increasing demand for sustainable raw materials in the pulp and paper industry has driven the utilization of non-wood lignocellulosic biomass as an alternative. This study investigates the delignification process of 10 weed species commonly found in oil palm plantations using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) with variations in concentration and soaking duration. The objective of this research is to evaluate the efficiency of lignin removal and the quality of the resulting pulp as a potential raw material for paper production. A factorial Completely Randomized Design (CRD) was employed, consisting of nine treatment combinations. The treatments included three concentrations of NaOH: N1 (5%), N2 (10%), and N3 (15%), along with three soaking durations: T1 (60 minutes), T2 (90 minutes), and T3 (120 minutes). The results indicated that increasing both NaOH concentration and soaking duration significantly enhanced the delignification efficiency. The N1T1 treatment (5% NaOH, 60-minute soaking) yielded the highest pulp output among all treatments.Higher concentrations of NaOH were also found to influence the color, texture, and appearance of the fibers. This study demonstrates that weeds from oil palm plantations have promising potential as an environmentally friendly alternative raw material for pulp and paper production, offering added value from both economic and ecological perspectives.