International Journal of AgriScience Vol. 4(4): 209-213, April 2014 www.inacj.

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ISSN: 2228-6322© International Academic Journals

Pulp and paper-making potential of corn husk

Taiwo K. Fagbemigun*, O.D. Fagbemi, O. Otitoju, E. Mgbachiuzor, C.C. Igwe

Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO), Lagos, Nigeria.
*Corresponding Author: Tel: +234 (0) 8062349742; E-mail: taiwo.fagbemigun@fiiro.gov.ng

Received mmmm yyyy; accepted in revised form mmmmm yyyy

ABSTRACT
The threat on forest woods and environmental sustainability has led to an aggressive research into the suitability of
several agricultural waste materials for pulp and paper production. Given this, the present study makes an inquest
into the paper making potential of cornhusk in Nigeria. Thus, the results of the chemical analysis of the lingo-
cellulosic material gives a lignin, cellulose, alcohol-cyclohexane solubility and ash values of about 15%, 44%, 4.57
%, and 5.09% respectively. The assessment of fibre morphology of corn husk also confirms that it has short fibres
similar to various hardwoods, whose length is <2 mm. Fibre diameter (21.89±5.1 µm), lumen width (6.63±3.5µm),
and cell wall thickness (7.63±2.3 µm) were also determined. Runkel ratio, slenderness ratio, coefficient of flexibility
and wall rigidity values were calculated from the fibre dimension. The strength of hand sheet obtained from corn
husk was tested and the results show that paper from corn husk has considerable strength. However, it is anticipated
that the sheet qualities in terms of mechanical strength and tearing resistance can be improved upon by mixing the
pulp of corn husks with pulp of non-wood plants with long fibres.

Keywords: Corn Husk, Environmental sustainability, Fibres, Pulp and Paper

1. INTRODUCTION important cereal being cultivated in the rainforest and

Heightened concerns on increasing wood
consumption and raw-material availability for the
paper industry have resulted in a renewed attention
on the benefits inherent in several non-wood fibre
plants, with annual or biannual harvests (Jorge
Gominho et al. 2001). Several agricultural food
cropresidues including rice husk, corn straw, okra
stalks, corn stalk, banana bunch, pineapple leaf and
corn husks which do not have immediate beneficial
applications in many communities have been
proposed to be potential sources of pulp (Kamoga et
al. 2013). Since all these plant materials contain
cellulose in form of fibres, they stand to be potential
sources for pulp with lesser environmental
degradation threat than wood which is traditionally
the most widely used ligno-cellulosic material in the
production of pulp, furniture and boards of diverse
types, as well as being a source of energy
(Ekhuemelo and Tor, 2013). Non-wood plants offer
several advantages including short growth cycles,
moderate irrigation and fertilization requirements and
low lignin content to alleviate energy and chemicals
used during pulping (Hurter et al. 1998). Among
these agricultural residues, corn husks have been the
subject of a very limited amount of research interest
as a fibre source. According to Iken, and Amusa,
(2004), corn or maize (Zea mays) is a major
the derived Savannah zones of Nigeria. The authors
stressed further that corn has been in the diet of
Nigerians for centuries and has now risen to a
commercial crop on which many agro-based
industries depend on as raw materials. Husks of
maize or corn, peeled off and discarded after harvest,
constitute a menace to the environment because they
are classified as waste with no beneficial importance.
Hence, they litter every major roads and streets in
most developing countries like Nigeria. The present
study therefore aims at investigating the paper-
making potential of corn husks via the determination
of its fibre morphology, chemical composition as
well as the strength of paper sheets produced from
the material.
2. METHODOLOGY
2.1 Chemical characterization of corn husk
Chemical analysis of corn husk meal was carried out
based on the respective Technical Association of the
Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) standards for the
different components. Alcohol-Cyclohexane
solubility, lignin, Ash and cellulose contents were
determined according to Tappi Standard Test
Methods: 2007 (Wise, et al. 1946; Dutt et al. 2009).
The results presented in Table 1 are reported as
percentage of the oven-dry weight sample.

International Journal of AgriScience Vol. 4(4): 209-213, April 2014 209

 yield was calculated as percentage of the oven-dry
Table 1: Chemical composition of corn husk weight of the chips together with rejected proportion.
Component % Kappa number measurement was also determined.
Lignin 15 Table 4 shows the results of pulp characterization.
Ash 5.09
Alcohol-cyclohexane solubility (1:2 v/v) 4.57 Table 4: Pulp properties
Cellulose 44.08 Kappa Number 14.3
Screen yield (%) 16
2.2 Fibre Morphology Pulp consistency (%) 5
Fibre morphology was investigated according to the
approach employed by Jorge (1999). Fibre length,
fibre diameter, lumen width and cell-wall thickness 2.4 Preparation and testing of laboratory
were measured using a stage graticule and an eye paper sheets
piece micrometer under a Zeiss microscope (Standard Laboratory paper sheets 134g/m2 were obtained from
25) ×80 magnification. Twenty (20) fibres were the fiberized corn husk pulp by (T 205 om-88) and
measured from the fibre suspension to keep error tested for tensile strength properties such as modulus
below 5% for a 95% confidence level. Four derived of elasticity, elongation at break, breaking length and
values including slenderness ratio, flexibility tensile stiffness according to TAPPI T 220 ―Physical
coefficient, runkel ratio and wall rigidity were Testing of Pulp Handsheets.
calculated using information obtained from the fiber
dimensions (Saikia et al. 1997; Ogbonnaya et al.
1997). The values obtained are presented in Table 2 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
and Table 3 and this compared to those of some non- 3.1 Chemical characteristics of corn husk
wood plants, softwoods and hardwoods. The results of the chemical analysis of corn husks
show that cellulose, which is the major chemical
Table 2: Fibre characteristics of Corn husk component of fiber wall make up approximately 44%
Fibre property Dimension of the corn husks. Low lignin content has been
Fibre Length (mm) L 1.71± 0.5 reported as one of the advantages inherent in the use
Fibre diameter (µm) D 21.89±5.1 of non-wood materials for pulp production. Materials
Cell wall thickness (µm) CW 7.63± 2.3 with low lignin contents require relatively small
Lumen width (µm) LW 6.63±3.5 amount of chemical for pulping (Hurter et al. 1998).
This study shows that corn husk contains low lignin
of approximately 15%. Several non-wood materials,
Table 3: Derived values such as Kenaf, wheat straw, sorghum stalks and oat
Derived indices Formular Value straw have also been reported to contain ≤ 20% lignin
Coefficient of Flexibility (%) LW/D x 100 30 (Manfred, 1993; Jimenez et al. 1993; Alcaide et al.
Slenderness ratio L/D 78.12 1990). Relatively, moderate solubility in ethanol-
Wall Rigidity (%) CW/D x 100 35 cyclohexane mixture (4.57 %) was achieved during
Runkel ratio 2CW/LW 2.30 the process.

3.2 Fibre dimensions

2.3 Pulping study and Pulp Characterization
Air-dried corn husk was chopped manually into about
10–12mm long pieces and was cooked in a 5 L
pressure pot using soda pulping process. 50 g (Oven-
dry weight) of corn husk was placed in the pot
together with 10 % soda with a liquid/solid ratio of
6:1 and pulped at 122oC, 80 KPa pressure for 50
minutes. Following pulping, the cooked material was
thoroughly washed to remove residual cooking liquor
and fiberized in a laboratory disintegrator for 10 min.
Fiberized material passed through a screen in order to
remove uncooked particles. The screened pulp was
washed, pressed, drained and allowed to dry to a
moisture content of 10% at room temperature. Pulp
An important feature of non-wood fibers is the wide
variability among the lengths of the fibers of different
species. In addition to fibre length, analysis of fibre
characteristics such as fibre diameter, lumen width,
cell-wall thickness and their derived morphological
factors have become important in estimating pulp
quality of fibres (Dinwoodie, 1965; Amidon, 1981;
Wood, 1981). Short fibers do not produce good
surface contact and fiber-to-fiber bonding
(Ogbonnaya et al. 1997). This, amongst other factors,
has led to the conclusion that hardwood pulps are
lower in paper strength because of their shorter fibres
(<2mm) than those of softwoods with longer fibres.
Thus, papers produced from short fibres have low
mechanical strength and tearing resistance (Ververis

International Journal of AgriScience Vol. 4(4): 209-213, April 2014 210

et al. 2004). Subsequent studies have however,
shown that fiber length possibly is not the overriding
factor in producing paper with acceptable strength
(Alexander and Marton.1968; Annergren, et al. 1963;
Horn, 1974). As compared to other non-wood plants,
fibre length of corn husk of 1.71 mm falls within the
same range as giant reeds of 1.18 mm (Gisela
Marques, et al. 2010), switch grass of 1.15 mm
(Ververis et al. 2004), and hardwood fibres such as
Gmelina arborea of 1.48 mm (Sharma M., 2013).
Fibres with large lumen and thin walls tend to flatten
to ribbons during papermaking with enhanced inter-
fibre bonding between fibres and consequently
having good strength characteristics (Panshin, and de
Zeeuw, 1980). The values of fibre diameter, lumen
width and thickness of corn husk; 21.89 µm, 6.63
µm, and 7.63 µm respectively, reported in this study
are closely related to that reported by Ekhuemelo and
Tor (2013).
3.2.1 Derived values
Runkel ratio, slenderness ratio, and flexibility
coefficient are important indices derive to determine
the suitability of material for pulp and papermaking.
The results of these indices show that corn husks has
a runkel ratio of 2.30 similar to Almond tree
(Ververis et al. 2004) but higher than Gmelina
arborea and various weeds (Sharma M., 2013).
Slenderness ratio, a measure of tearing property of
pulp in paper is determined from fiber length and
fiber diameter. Slenderness ratio of fibrous material
more than 33 is considered to be good for pulp and
paper production (Xu et al., 2006). Given this, Corn
husk with slenderness ratio 78.12 can be considered
to be perfectly suited for paper making. Flexibility
coefficient is governed by lumen diameter and fiber
diameter. It determines the degree of fiber bonding in
paper sheet (Sharma et al. 2013). However, the
result of this study shows that corn husk has a
flexibility coefficient of 30 which is less than values
between 50-75 considered for highly elastic and
elastic fibers (Bektas, 1999).
3.3 Tensile strength of paper sheet
The mechanical and strength properties of paper
reflect the intrinsic chemistry, morphology, and
structure of the individual fibers as well as the
network structure of the paper (Caulfield and
Gunderson, 1988). Based on the results of pulp
characterization, conventional handsheets were
produced from the pulp. Test of tensile strength was
done on the paper sample obtained from pulp of corn
husk and the data obtained is presented in Table 5.
The result shows that corn husk could be considered
as a promising raw material for papermaking
applications. However, it must be noted that residual
211 International Journal of AgriScience Vol. 4(4): 209-213, April 2014
lignin, impurities, pulp consistency, degree of pulp
beating, relative humidity of the environment are few
of the factors that could influence the properties of
paper sheets produce from any pulp. The dimensions
and strength of the individual fibers, their
arrangement, and the extent to which they are bonded
to each other are all important factors contributing to
test results.
Table 5: Strength properties of paper sheets
produced from pulp of corn husks
Modulus of Elasticity 11.894
Tensile stiffness(m) 0.012
Tensile index(Nm/g) 3.23
Elongation at break(mm) 4.349
Breaking Length(m) 329.46
4. CONCLUSION
The present study assessed the pulp and paper
making potential inherent in corn husks. Fibre
morphology of the material confirmed that it consists
of short fibres similar to hardwoods. Chemical
characterization of the sample also shows it is a
ligno-cellulosic material with average lignin content,
less than 20%, similar to several non-wood plants
which help in reducing the amount of chemical and
energy needed for pulping. Other dimensional
indices, i.e. runkel ratio, flexibility coefficient,
slenderness ratio and wall rigidity gave a good
insight into the qualities of the individual fibres
present in the material. Tensile strength of paper
sheet produced from the pulp of corn husk shows that
the materials could be considered as an alternative
raw material for papermaking applications. Despite
the fact that this study presented relatively poor
flexibility and runkel ratios, pulp produced from corn
husk can be mixed with softwood, hardwood or
recycled paper pulps to produce paper with increased
printability, tearing strength and mechanical strength.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors acknowledge financial and technical
supports from the management and staff of the
Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi
(FIIRO) under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of
Science and Technology, Nigeria.
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