Browsing by Author "Nalubega Lubwama, Harriet"

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    Production and Characterization of Paper from Banana Stem Fibre: Optimization Using Box-behnken Design (BBD)
    (Taylor & Francis, 2023-03-22) Yiga, Vianney Andrew; Lubwama, Michael; Opio, James; Menya, Emmanuel; Nono, Denis; Nalubega Lubwama, Harriet
    Banana stem is a known alternative to wood for the production of pulp and paper. During the production of paper, it is extremely important to save costs and time while at the same time enhancing the quality of produced paper. In the present study, the paper was developed from banana stem fiber by optimizing its density. Response surface methodology (RSM) using Box-Behnken design (BBD) was used to determine the optimum blending parameters of the developed papers. The influence of banana stem fiber amount (250-1000 g), water amount (1-2 litres), and blending time (5-10 min) on paper density was analyzed using the software Stat-Ease 360, Version 13. The optimum conditions of banana stem fiber amount, water amount, and blending time to achieve a density of 675.75 g/m3 were determined as 461.83 g, 1.31 liters, and 8.53 min, respectively. ANOVA results revealed that the quadratic model best fits the density response, with blending time and banana stem fiber amount as the most significant model terms. Linear effects were more predominant than quadratic and interaction effects. The developed density model was in close agreement with experimental findings with an R2 value of 0.9748. The developed paper had cellulosic contents, with volatiles as high as 82.11%wb and 2.11%wb ash composition. Future works on the thermal properties of paper are encouraged.