Isolation, Modification and Characterization of Cellulose from Corn Husk Waste of Puncak‐Bogor

Abstract

AbstractCellulose and its derivatives are important industrial raw materials for their advantages, including abundance, biodegradable, environmentally friendly, biocompatible, and good mechanical and thermal properties. This study aims to isolate and modify cellulose from corn husk waste of Puncak‐Bogor, Indonesia for improving the characteristics and usability of corn husk cellulose. The cellulose of corn husk was isolated with the delignification and bleaching process, by using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), respectively. The modification of cellulose was carried out using alkaline and etherification stages with monochloroacetic acid (MCA) in an isopropyl alcohol solvent. The presence of a peak at 898 cm−1 on the bleaching product confirmed the β‐(1,4)‐glycosidic bond of pure cellulose, while the peak at 1612.49 cm−1 on the modified cellulose product confirmed the carbonyl group of carboxymethyl cellulose. Cellulose isolated from corn husk has a crystallinity index of 76.4 % (2nd bleaching product), while CMC is 29.97 %. Cellulose (2nd bleaching product) starts to decompose at 271.8 and finishes at 642.63 °C, while CMC shows a lower decomposition temperature of 248.47 and 628.17 °C. Based on the results, it can be concluded that cellulose and CMC from Puncak‐Bogor's corn husk waste were obtained through the isolation method and modification stages in this research, respectively.