Hand-made paper obtained by green procedure of cladode waste of Opuntia ficus indica (L.) Mill. from Sicily.

Cellulosic fibres have been obtained by green procedures from the cladodes of Opuntia ficus indica (L.) Mill., constituting a large agro industrial waste in our territory. The materials have been analysed for its relative composition, applying, IR and TG methodologies and it was characterised by the absence of lignin. The fibrous material allowed the manufacture of a handmade paper obtaining an ecological material suitable for packaging purposes. The authors evidenced that the simple protocol based on hot water treatment was able to decrease the amount of hemicellulose in the final material.