Converting Waste Agricultural Biomass into a Resource - UNEP

4. Cooking - Cook the soaked straw in a large boiling pot filled with the
caustic solution. It would take at least three hours to break up the
fibers. The rice straw is ready when it crumbles when pinched. Try not
to overcook the fiber - if it tears apart too easily, your paper will be
weak. Rinse the cooked straw in cool water after cooking.
5. Beating - The initial beating loosens the fiber strands and spreads them
out. Pound the fiber with a bat. Use some force, but allow the weight of
the bat to do most of the work. When the fiber has spread out, fold the
fiber on themselves and start again. Beat for at least 15 minutes, until
the fibers crushed into pulp.
Sheet Forming
Equipment
Deckle and mould.
Vat.
A rust-proof pail.
Felts.
Pressing board.
Rolling pin.
To make a sheet of paper successfully you will need two wooden frames -
deckle and mould. The top frame is deckle, which is removable and
determines edge and size of paper and keeps the pulp on the mould.
Thickness of deckle ensures consistent thickness of paper. The bottom frame
is mould. With some fine wire gauze or plastic mesh stretched over, it drains
the water from the pulp.
The bamboo frames used in Chinese floating method is beyond the ordinary
practice. But you can make Western deckle and mould quite easily (See
illustration bellow). The wood for making the frame set should be 3/8 x 3/8
inch in thickness. The deckle and mould should be the same size.
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