How to Make Paper Pulp from Ornamental Bananas - Handmade paper basics

In this video you will learn one of the fundamental steps in the making of quality handmade paper...pulping. Plant fibers are harvested, chopped, cooked in a 3-5% caustic soda (NaOH) solution for about one hour, rinsed thoroughly, and then blended to pulp in a regular tabletop blender. This is a simple process that every handmade paper-maker needs to know and have in their toolbelt when making handmade paper.
Materials:
Stainless steel pot Silicone spatula Sharp Knife or chopper
Cutting board Kitchen Blender Outdoor stove
Colander/Strainer Sheer material Hose with spray nozzle
Bucket/Pail/Tub Rain water (optional) Caustic Soda (Lye/NaOH)
Measuring jug Small scale/balance
How to make a percent (%) solution:
A solution includes both the solvent (in this case rainwater) and the solute (in this case NaOH/caustic soda). To make a 3% solution, weigh out 3g of NaOH; add it to a measuring flask with some water already in it; Add enough water until the solution reaches the 100 mL mark on the flask. A 5% solution requires 5 grams of NaOH made up to 100 mL of solution.
Larger volumes are multiples of these - for example, a 1000 mL solution is 10 x 100 mL = 10 x 3 g = 30 g of NaOH made up to 1000 mL (1.0 L) of solution. Note: NaOH gives off fumes and heat, and can cause burns so conduct this procedure outside with plenty ventilation.

[@jacquesmunyandinda-yp3xv]

incredible video

[@bariaissa1737]

Thank you for sharing very useful.

[@marvettebarkerthompson455]

This video is done like a pro....great job

[@abhijitkher145]

Very informative video. Thanks for sharing. Best Regard

[@mohamadkassab8701]

Thanks for sharing

[@eboniclarke177]

Nicely done

[@lisapearce8273]

So helpful and informative. I hope to give this a try based on all of your wonderful teaching.

[@supunhiniduma1368]

thank u . very useful.

[@ichiharayuko5322]

🙏🙏🙏thank you for so detailed descriptive tutorial. i was afraid to use sodium hypochlorite to bleach the pulp before due to the potentially toxic substances in it...anyway solved a lot of my questions, you saved my life of failing my project

[@w.a3393]

Thank you so much

[@user-hg5kb3xk6p]

Nice video

[@justruthme]

I'm so proud of you Dewy!!! This is so informative. Also love the shots and angles. Go deh me bredda!!!!

[@user-hg5kb3xk6p]

Can you explain how to pulp coffee husk

[@Abdullah-ku6er]

Very helpful. Thanks.
I have a question,
Before step 6 , if I want the fibers to make yarn? How should I do it?

[@dwightrose5735]

Typically, yarn is made from the raw fibre which is extracted by scraping away the fleshy part of the banana trunk. The extracted fibres are sometimes cooked in a solution with boiled hardwood ashes (potash - also called lye) to remove excess lignin, dried and spun together.
The other method is a Japanese method that folds the handmade sheet and makes several cuts to create one long strip which is spun into yarn. This approach is easier and there are several videos online that demonstrate this method.
th-cam.com/video/942wS4Ow-sE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=dojwSKKCsRyWFN7T
th-cam.com/video/xsIZSmUSwZY/w-d-xo.htmlfeature=shared

[@hobi_flowershop]

Hi Dwight Rose! Can I use the leaf sheaths of the tree instead of the pseudostems to make this?

[@muriellefabiolangangoue8933]

Hi M Dwight Rose.Please would you explain me who haven’t dried out the banana fiber as you did in your first video?

[@dwightrose5735]

Thanks for your question. Dried plant material can sit on the shelf longer and usually swells when heated in NaOH cooking solution. It is usually recommended that you soak the dried plant material in water before placing it in the 3-5% NaOH solution for cooking. What I have found in my trials is that some of the chemicals in the fresh or partially dried material actually improve paper strength, and thus I typically use them in that state.

[@justruthme]

Pulp looks like poop 🙈🙈🙈 can't wait for part 2

[@dawoodmeah]

If someone knows or heard, that paper pulp can be made from Rice husk, please share

[@theBabylady]

Can the rinse water be reused in anyway? Or does the lye make it black water?

[@dwightrose5735]

Factories have a process of recovering the lye (NaOH) from the resulting solution (black liquor) for reuse in the pulping process. The lignin extracted is utilized in boilers as fuel. I am looking into a simple method for recovering the lye from the black liquor. You can also note that, unlike my first video I have reduced the lye percentage from 12% to 2-3%, thus reducing lye waste.

[@jhayerolandmiascoautor5617]

Good day sir!, may I know what method did u use?

[@jayminpatel2603]

How to bleatch pulp plz video

[@agrippanyagwaya2308]

Is it possible to make 1000kgs on a daily production

[@UnknownUser-jg7ix]

Hello. How many banana stem should i use for a 2L water with 60grams of lye??

[@dwightrose5735]

If you dry the plant material first it will swell as you add the NaOH and thus you will have to top it up as you heat. If you use fresh material which already contains water, add enough to just cover the material in the pot. The amount of plant material used per 2L of water depends on the type of plant being pulped.

[@colini_3039]

Hello, mr. dwight! How much sodium hydroxide is needed for a 500g leaves?

[@dwightrose5735]

All leaves or stems are not created equal. Dry leaves will soak up some of the NaOH and swell, requiring more solution. Green leaves have water in them already and will shrink. You only need enough solution to cover the leaves and to top things up throughout the boil.
My suggestion is that you make a 3% solution with enough volume to cover the material. Each sample will require different volumes so estimate, based on the volume of the sample, how much solution you may need.

[@dawoodmeah]

Can I replace rain water with bottle water,

[@dwightrose5735]

You can use any clean water. Minerals in the water can reduce the effects of the chemicals. I also use tap water.

[@annlazarus9868]

Very informative and interesting. Suggest you wear gloves during the process

[@queenieborlagdan5157]

Hello! Can I know what is the use of NaOH?

[@dwightrose5735]

NaOH or "lye" is used to remove the lignin (glue) from the plant material so we can extract the cellulose fibers.

[@queenieborlagdan5157]

@@dwightrose5735 is it dangerous in making paper out of banana pseudo stem?

[@dwightrose5735]

@queenieborlagdan5157 thanks for your question. There are inherent risks in utilizing NaOH since it is both caustic and corrosive. You can avoid the risk associated with the burns to the skin, which can result from prolonged contact with NaOH by: (1) wearing rubber gloves or (2) rinsing your hands quickly with clean running water. Utilize a long silicone spatula whilst stirring the cooking fibers and observe the pot carefully during the first 20 minutes of boiling. I usually rub the rinsed pulp between my fingers to test for NaOH residues (NaOH feels slippery) and wash my hands thoroughly after.
I have never had any issues in the 18 years of papermaking. Just use caution!
Alternatively, you could utilize Oxiclean (Sodium percarbonate) to cook the fibers, but you may have to cook them a bit longer.

[@goldenmafia5]

Hello, are you on twitter?

[@dwightrose5735]

No

[@dwightrose5735]

No