Kraft handsheet, and wood tracheid and chemical property interrelationships for 50 individual radiata pine trees

摘要

Two sets of 25 trees were taken, from a preselected population of 200, at age 13 years (Tree-set13) and 15 years (Tree-set15). In this paper, interrelationships are quantified between the individual-tree kraft handsheet and wood physical and chemical properties for these two sets of 25 radiata pine trees. Individual radiata pine trees, and the qualities of the kraft pulps made from them, can be effectively described by the wood microstructure descriptors tracheid perimeter and wall thickness, fibre length, and MFA, and the chemical descriptor glucose content. Also, the wood microstructure descriptors tracheid perimeter and wall thickness can be replaced by tracheid coarseness and the compound wood property of density. The inclusion of coarseness along with density ensures fibre number per unit mass is taken into account. Furthermore, glucose can be replaced with lignin although levels of prediction can be marginally lower. Handsheet tensile index, stretch, and TEA index all increase with decreasing fibre coarseness at fixed wood density, MFA, and glucose content. This influence of fibre coarseness on these kraft pulp properties is independent of the level of pulp refining.