An experimental study of Australian sugarcane bagasse pulp permeability

In this experimental study the permeability of Australian bagasse chemical pulps obtained from different bagasse fractions were measured in a simple permeability cell and the results compared to one another as well as to eucalypt, Argentinean bagasse and pine pulps. The pulps were characterised in terms of the permeability parameters, the specific surface area, S(v) and the swelling factor, a. It was found that the bagasse fraction used affects these parameters. Fractionation of whole bagasse prior to pulping produced pulps that have permeability properties that compare favourably with eucalypt pulp. The values of S(v) and alpha for bagasse pulp also depend on whether a constant or a variable Kozeny factor is used.