Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Valorization of wheat straw into paper by ultrafiltered enzymatic bleaching approach

  • Rapid Communication
  • Published:
Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this study, the potential of ultrafiltered xylano-pectinolytic enzymatic bleaching approach was investigated, for manufacturing wheat straw-based paper. The enzymatic step was found to be most effective, with xylanase–pectinase dose of 4–1.7 IU/g pulp and time period of 180 min. The absorption spectra of the pulp free filtrate samples obtained after treatment of the pulp with ultrafiltered enzymes showed the removal of more impurities, in comparison to the treatment with crude enzymes. Microscopic analysis also showed the removal of lignin impurities in enzymatically bleached pulp samples. This bleaching approach using enzymes resulted in 27% reduction in ClO2 dose. Ultrafiltered enzymes treated pulp samples also showed improved quality-related parameters, and Gurley porosity, burst index, breaking length, double fold, tear index, and viscosity increased by 19.05, 13.70, 8.18, 29.27, 4.41, and 13.27%, respectively. The lignin content, TDS, TSS, BOD and COD values also decreased in the effluent samples obtained after enzymatic bleaching plus 73% chemical bleaching dose. The BOD and COD values of the effluent samples improved by 23.01 and 23.66%, respectively. Thus, indicating the potential of ultrafiltered xylano-pectinolytic enzymes in reducing pollution during bleaching of wheat straw. This is the first study, mentioning the efficacy of ultrafiltered enzymes in the bleaching of wheat straw-based paper with better optical-strength-related properties and effluent characteristics.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

References

  1. Azevedo ARG, Alexandre J, Marvila MT, Xavier GC, Monteiro SN, Pedroti LG (2020) Technological and environmental comparative of the processing of primary sludge waste from paper industry for mortar. J Clean Prod 249:119336

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Haq I, Raj A (2020) Pulp and paper mill wastewater: ecotoxicological effects and bioremediation approaches for environmental safety. Bioremediation of industrial waste for environmental safety. Springer Nature Singapore, Singapore, pp 333–356

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  3. Dixit M, Gupta GK, Liu H, Shukla P (2019) Pulp and paper industry based pollutants, their health hazards and environmental risks. Curr Opin Environ Sci Health 12:48–56

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Ahmed J, Thakur A, Goyal A (2021) Industrial waste water and its toxic effects. In: Biological treatment of industrial wastewater. Royal Society Chem, pp 1–14

  5. Bhardwaj NK, Kaur D, Chaudhry S, Sharma M, Arya S (2019) Approaches for converting sugarcane trash, a promising agro residue, into pulp and paper using soda pulping and elemental chlorine-free bleaching. J Clean Prod 217:225–233

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Hemathilake DMKS, Gunathilake DMCC (2022) Agricultural productivity and food supply to meet increased demands. Future Foods (Global Trends, Opportunities, and Sustainability Challenges), pp 539–553

  7. Tajeddin B, Momen RF (2020) The effect of wheat straw bleaching on some mechanical properties of wheat straw/LDPE biocomposites. J Food Bioprocess Eng 3(10):23–28

    Google Scholar 

  8. Tripathi SK, Bhardwaj NK, Ghatak HR (2018) Optimization of ozone bleaching conditions for improving wheat straw pulp quality using response surface methodology. Ozone Sci Eng 1–9

  9. Fang G (2018) Shen K (2018) Wheat straw pulping for paper and paperboard production. Global Wheat Production. Intechopen, London, pp 223–239

    Google Scholar 

  10. Kleppe PJ (1970) Kraft pulping TAPPI. 53(1):35-47

  11. Hageman J, Plumet L, Robberechts M, Interox SA (1986) Process for the treatment of cellulosic materials with oxidizing agents and microbes. US Patent 4576609

  12. Nagpal R, Bhardwaj NK, Mahajan R (2021) Potential of crude xylano-pectinolytic enzymes in bleaching of rice straw pulp for improving paper quality and reducing toxic effluent load generation. Env Sci Pollut Res 28:18284–18293

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Wang M, Ye Y, Li X, Chen H, Zhao J (2017) Utility of co-expressed alkali-tolerant endoglucanase and xylanase in ameliorating wheat straw chemical pulp properties. Cellulose 24:2299–2311

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Kaur A, Mahajan R, Singh A, Garg G, Sharma J (2010) Application of cellulase-free xylano-pectinolytic enzymes from the same bacterial isolate in biobleaching of kraft pulp. Bioresour Technol 101(23):9150–9155

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Kaur A, Singh A, Dua A, Mahajan R (2017) Cost-effective and concurrent production of industrially valuable xylano-pectinolytic enzymes by a bacterial isolate Bacillus pumilus AJK. Prep Biochem Biotechnol 47(1):8–18

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Agrawal S, Kaur A, Varghese LM, Mahajan R (2019) Development of novel economical methodologies for zymographic analysis of purified xylano–pectinolytic enzymes using agrowaste based substrates. Biotechnol Prog 36(2):2913

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Miller GL (1959) Use of dinitrosalicylic acid reagent for determination of reducing sugars. Anal Chem 31(1):426–428

    Article  MathSciNet  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Kaur A, Mahajan R, Singh A, Garg G, Sharme J (2011) A novel and cost effective methodology for qualitative screening of alkalo-thermophilic cellulase free xylano-pectinolytic microorganisms using agricultural wastes. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 27:459–463

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Kaur D, Bhardwaj NK, Lohchab RK (2018) A study on pulping of rice straw and impact of incorporation of chlorine dioxide during bleaching on pulp properties and effluents characteristics. J Clean Prod 170:174–184

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Khandeparkar R, Bhosle NB (2007) Application of thermoalkalophilic xylanase from Arthrobacter sp. MTCC 5214 in biobleaching of kraft pulp. Bioresour Technol 98:897–903

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Patel RN, Grabski AC, Jeffries TW (1993) Chromophore release from kraft pulp by purified Streptomyces roseiscleroticus xylanases. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 39:405–412

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Hise R (1996) Chlorination. In: Reeve DW, Dence CW (eds) pulp bleaching- principles and practice. Tappi Press Atlanta, Georgia, pp 241–259

    Google Scholar 

  23. TAPPI T205 sp-02 (2002) Forming handsheets for physical tests of pulp. TAPPI Press, Atlanta, GA

  24. TAPPI T403 om-10 (2010) Burst strength of paper. TAPPI Press, Atlanta, GA

  25. TAPPI T460 om-02 (2002) Air resistance of paper. TAPPI Press, Atlanta, GA

  26. TAPPI T494 om-01 (2001) Tensile breaking properties of paper and paperboard. TAPPI Press, Atlanta, GA

  27. TAPPI T414 om-04 (2004) Internal tearing resistance of paper (Elmendorf-type method). TAPPI Press, Atlanta, GA

  28. SCAN-C 19:65 (1999) Pulps determination of drainability-Part 1 (Schopper-Riegler method)

  29. TAPPI T511 om-02 (2002) Folding endurance of paper (MIT Tester). TAPPI Press, Atlanta, GA

  30. TAPPI T230 om-99 (1976) Viscosity of pulp (capillary viscometer method). TAPPI Press, Atlanta, GA

  31. TAPPI T217 wd-77 (2004) Brightness of pulp. TAPPI Press, Atlanta, GA

  32. TAPPI T236 om-99 (2004) Kappa number of pulp. TAPPI Press, Atlanta, GA

  33. Sharma D, Nagpal R, Agrawal S, Bhardwaj N, Mahajan R (2022) Eco-friendly bleaching of agrowaste wheat straw using crude alkalo-thermotolerant cellulose-free xylano-pectinolytic enzymes. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 194(2):620–634

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Agrawal S, Yadav RD, Mahajan R (2016) Synergistic effect of xylano-pectinolytic enzymes produced by a bacterial isolate in bleaching of plywood industrial waste. J Clean Prod 118:229–233

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Sharma D, Agrawal S, Yadav RD, Mahajan R (2017) Improved efficacy of ultrafiltered xylanase–pectinase concoction in biobleaching of plywood waste soda pulp. 3 Biotech 7(1):2

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  36. Nagpal R, Bhardwaj NK, Mahajan R (2020) Synergistic approach using ultrafiltered xylano-pectinolytic enzymes for reducing bleaching chemical dose in manufacturing rice straw paper. Env Sci Pollut Res 27:44637–44646

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Agrawal S, Nagpal R, Sharma D, Bhardwaj N, Mahajan R (2022) An eco-friendly biocatalytic process for producing better quality paper from sugarcane bagasse using ultrafiltered enzymes concoction. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 45(4):741–747

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to ACIRD, Yamuna Nagar, for providing us the facilities for testing various properties of wheat straw pulp samples.

Funding

The financial support for this work was provided by Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India (Grant Number: BT/PR 20438/BCE/8/1220/2016 for 4 years).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, India

    Divya Sharma, Raksha Nagpal, Amanjot Kaur & Ritu Mahajan

  2. Department of Life Sciences, IAMR College, Ghaziabad, India

    Divya Sharma

  3. Department of Life Sciences, SBSR, Sharda University, Noida, India

    Sharad Agrawal

  4. Avantha Centre for Industrial Research and Development, Paper Mill Campus, Yamuna Nagar, India

    Nishikant Bhardwaj

Authors
  1. Divya Sharma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sharad Agrawal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Raksha Nagpal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Amanjot Kaur
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Nishikant Bhardwaj
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Ritu Mahajan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

RM (corresponding author)—concept for this study and overall supervision of all experiments done. DS (first author)—performed all the experimental part at research laboratory level. SA—results obtained by first author got confirmed by him in the laboratory. RN—performed the experimental work at Paper Industry level. AK—performed the microscopic and absorption spectra analysis. NKB—did supervision of experiments at ACIRD, Yamuna Nagar.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ritu Mahajan.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval and consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent to publication

Not applicable.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Sharma, D., Agrawal, S., Nagpal, R. et al. Valorization of wheat straw into paper by ultrafiltered enzymatic bleaching approach. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 47, 289–297 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-023-02951-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-023-02951-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation