Bio-Soda Pulping of Rice Straw with Pleurotus cornucopiae under Atmospheric Pressure

This study was carried out to develop the bio-chemical pulping method to enhance the energy saving and decrease the capital cost through the soda pulping under atmospheric pressure ($100^{\circ}C$). Nonwood substrates, rice straw, were pretreated by white-rot fungi, Pleurotus cornucopiae. Several basic pieces of data that can be applied in soda pulping were acquired. The results of this study were as follows. Under the conditions without any nutrients or with glucose, N and glucose + N, the weight losses of rice straws inoculated by Pleurotus cornucopiae were 12.1∼32.6 %, 12.0∼26.3 %, 13.0∼25.4 % and 15.3∼24.7 % for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 days incubation periods respectively. The more the fungal incubation was extended, the more the weight losses were gained. The yield of untreated rice straw was 54.8 % after pulping. When any nutrients was not added or glucose, N and glucose ＋ N were added for the pretreatment, the total yields were ranged to 57.3∼42.9 %, 51.0∼43.3 %, 51.7∼43.9 % and 52.1∼46.1 % for 5 different incubation periods respectively. The yields were gradually decreased based on the extending of the incubation periods. The physical properties of the rice straw soda pulp without fungal treatment, the density, breaking length, burst index, tear index and folding endurance were 0.24g/㎤, 2.32 Km, 0.91 kPaㆍ$m^2$/g, 46.7 mNㆍ$m^2$/g and 21 times, respectively. In the case of pretreatment without any nutrients or with glucose, N and glucose + N as nutrients, the density was 0.24g/㎤, the breaking length was 3.30∼6.46 Km, the burst index was 1.36∼3.01 kPaㆍ$m^2$/g, the tear index was 33.0∼57.0 mNㆍ$m^2$/g and the folding endurance was 14∼381 times at most incubating periods, when pulping was done. The physical properties were increased as the incubation duration was extended. Especially, when N and glucose ＋ N were added, the physical properties showed superior results during each incubation period.