Extraction and characterization of Nanocellulose obtained from sugarcane bagasse as agro-waste

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize nanocellulose extracted from sugarcane bagasse (SCB) by acid hydrolysis 60% (w/w) H2SO4 at 45 ◦C. The effect of hydrolysis time (20, 30 and 40 min) on the structure and properties of the nanofibers was investigated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) results indicated that the hemicellulose and lignin were removed extensively in the cellulose whiskers. The morphology and dimensions of the fibers and acid-released cellulose nanowhisker (CNW) were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that SCB could be used as source to obtain cellulose whiskers and they had needle-like structures. Longer hydrolysis time produced a lower yield of nanofibers; whereas the degree of crystallinity increased from 38.22% to 65.37% with increasing hydrolysis time due to removal of amorphous cellulose.