Abstract:
The paper making is one of the largest industries in the world, with 390 million tons of annual
production. The main source of cellulosic fibre which is used in the pulp for paper production
comes from wood and non-wood fibres are used to a lesser extent. However, a renewed interest
exists in the use of non-woody raw materials for paper pulp due to their abundance, low-cost and
eco-friendly. Therefore, developing an alternative method for paper production using non woody
fibre-based pulp is vital. Mougeutia sp. is filamentous green algae with the rapid growth forming
a dense mat under eutrophic condition in freshwater habitats worldwide. It is growing as a weed
and eradicating is difficult. Thus, use it as a raw material helps to control their growth in the
aquatic environment. The study aimed to find a method for making paper pulp using green algae
of Mougeutia sp as a non-woody fibre source. Mougeotia sp. sample (5g) was boiled at 100 ºC with
250 mL of water for 45 minutes. Then the boiled sample was sun-dried for five hours after the
addition of 25 mL of Sordium Hypochloride (NaOCL), the mixture was left for 20 minutes for
bleaching. Finally, excess of NaOCl was washed out using tap water. The paper pulp was prepared
by mixing 100 mL water and 50 mL of slime which was obtained from cactus species of Opuntia
sp. with the bleached sample of Mougeotia sp. Opuntia is a highly abandoned invasive plant and
obtaining slime is a low-cost process. The resulted mixture was filtered using muslin clothes and
the product was spread on the plastic strainer to form a thin layer. After three hours of drying
under sunlight, the thin layer was removed as a sheet of paper. GSM value (63.904) and thickness
(1.067 x 10-1 cm) of the product were tested and they were equally to normal paper. Thus, the
results highlight the potential of making an eco-friendly and cost-effective paper pulp by using
filamentous green algae of Mougeotia sp. as a non woody fibre source and invasive plant species
of Opuntia sp. as a source for obtaining slime.