Extraction of cellulose microfibers from waste fallen leaves and fabrication of a degradable composite film for packaging applications

Abstract

Abstract The plastics industry is increasingly using renewable natural polymers, with cellulose being the most popular choice because of its large market size of 211 billion USD. Nonetheless, the extraction of cellulose in economically viable forms, especially in micro- and nanoforms, continues to pose a challenge for researchers. To address this issue, a recent study focused on extracting cellulose microfibers (CMFs) from agro biomass to reduce costs. Alkaline peroxide treatment was used to extract microcellulose from waste fallen dried leaves. The resultant CMFs were 45.8 µm in size, with spectral peaks of 3,339 cm− 1 and 2,890 cm− 1 corresponding to the hydrogen bond O-H, and C-H of cellulose respectively. CMFs were used to reinforce polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and make CMF/PVA composite films using the solution casting method. Various percentages of CMFs (5–15%) were tested, with the resultant composites having chemical interaction bonds at 3,260 cm− 1 and 2θ = 19.6° diffraction peaks. The tensile strengths of the optimized CMFs were 80.37 MPa and 2.51 GPa, accompanied by a decrease of 9.37% elongation at break. The CMFs significantly enhanced biodegradation by approximately 21.44%, highlighting their potential environmental benefits in plastic film production. In summary, this study provides insights into economically obtaining microcellulose and designing biodegradable plastics for packaging applications. The utilization of renewable natural polymers such as cellulose in the plastic industry is imperative for promoting eco-friendly practices. The findings of this study offer a promising solution for this problem.