EVALUATION OF FIBER QUALITY FROM NATIVE AMAZONIAN BAMBOOS GUADUA WEBERBAUERI AND GUADUA AFF. LYNNCLARKIAE FOR PULP AND PAPER PRODUCTION

In Brazil, wood from planted forests is the main raw material to produce pulp and paper. Although the use of other fibers from native raw materials has not been widely studied, there is enormous potential. In this context, the objective of this work was to evaluate the anatomical properties of the fibers of the species Guadua weberbaueri and Guadua aff. lynnclarkiae for use in pulping. To conduct this study, the biomass used was collected in the Zoobotanical Park and in the surroundings of the Fundação de Tecnologia do Estado do Acre (FUNTAC). Cellular elements were separated in a solution of acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide (1:1). The length, width, wall thickness and lumen diameter of the fibers were measured after mounting the temporary slides. In addition, the Runkel Index (RI), Wall Fraction (WF), Flexibility Coefficient (FC) and Slenderness Ratio (SR) were calculated. The results showed that the fibers of Guadua weberbaueri presented RI of 1.10 while Guadua aff. lynnclarkiae the RI was 2.58. The highest FC was found in G. weberbaueri, with an average of 54.78%, while G. aff. lynnclarkiae presented 29.12%. The SI for the species Guadua weberbaueri was 61.65, while for Guadua aff. lynnclarkiae was 104.60. Regarding WP, G. weberbaueri presented a value of 45.22% while G. aff. lynnclarkiae obtained 70.88%. These parameters show that the species Guadua weberbaueri is the most suitable for pulp and paper production.