Kraft Pulping and Fiber Characteristics of five Brazilian Woods

An investigation was conducted to evaluate the kraft pulping and wood fiber characteristics of the following woods grown in Brazil: Araticum, Jacaré, Açoita cavalo, and Angico vermelho. Eucalyptus saligna Smith., a species widely used in Brazil for pulp manufacture, was also incorporated in the study for comparative purposes.Araticum and Açoita cavalo yielded pulps with physical characteristics that appeared superior to those of Eucalyptus saligna. Jacaré and Angico vermelho yielded pulps inferior to those of Eucalyptus saligna, but they probably could be used as pulpwoods.The average fiber length, fiber diameter, cell lumen, and cell-wall thickness were determined for all species; but it was not possible directly to correlate fiber dimensions with pulp strength. This possibly can be explained as due, in part, to the effect of intrinsic fiber strength, which was not determined in this investigation.An anatomical description of Araticum (Annona sericeae), a species never before described, is presented