Cellulose extraction from sugar palm (Arenga pinnata) fibre by alkaline and peroxide treatments

Abstract

Abstract Cellulose is a versatile polymer which can be extracted from various agricultural waste. Sugar palm (Arenga pinnata) fibre (SPF) is one of potential cellulose source. The cellulose extraction from SPF was conducted by alkaline treatment with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution (10%) and peroxide treatments with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) solution (5, 10, 15%). The alkaline treatment was supposed to remove most of hemicellulose and some of lignin. The following peroxide treatment aimed to remove remaining lignin. The results of each step were analyzed its composition, visual appearances, colour and morphological aspect. The results showed that increasing of H2O2 solution concentration not only tends to increase cellulose content and whiteness but also reduce the diameter size of fibre which indicates the removal of impurities (hemicellulose and lignin) from the fibre. In conclusion, cellulose was successfully extracted from SPF by alkaline treatment followed by peroxide treatments which the best result was in condition of 15% H2O2 solution concentration.