Some Promising Hardwoods for Cellulose Production: I. Chemical and Anatomical Features

Wood samples from each of Leucaena leucocephala, Moringa peregrine, Ceiba pentandra and Calotropis procera were macerated using Franklin method to evaluate their suitability as sources of cellulosic fibers (CFs). Chemical and anatomical characterizations of wood as well as its specific gravity (SG) were performed. The lignocellulosic resources (LRs) examined differed significantly in relation to all the properties studied. L. leucocephala wood is the best fibrous crop among the species studied due to it had the highest SG, holocelluloses content (HC) and fiber yield (FY) as well as the lowest lignin content (LC) and ash content (AC). M. perigrina had the highest LC, the shortest and the widest fibers. C. pentandra had the lowest total extractives content (TEC) and the longest fibers. Although C. procera possessed the lowest HC and FY and the highest TEC and AC, its utilization as a cellulosic precursor is not closed due to it has the lowest LC. The macerated fibers produced from the four species had low aspect ratio. Vessels of the four lignocellulosic resources are characterized by scalariform pitting system and L. leucocephala vessel has simple perforated plates