Isolation and Characterization of Alpha and Nanocrystalline Cellulose from Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Trunk Mesh.

Hamid M Shaikh,Abdullah Alhamidi,Arfat Anis,Mohammad Asif Alam,Niyaz Ahamad Madhar,Anesh Manjaly Poulose,Saeed M Al-Zahrani

doi:10.3390/polym13111893

Hamid M Shaikh, Abdullah Alhamidi + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13111893

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Abstract

Highly pure cellulosic polymers obtained from waste lignocellulose offer great potential for designing novel materials in the concept of biorefinery. In this work, alpha-cellulose and nanocrystalline cellulose were isolated from the date palm trunk mesh (DPTM) through a series of physicochemical treatments. Supercritical carbon dioxide treatment was used to remove soluble extractives, and concentrated alkali pretreatment was used to eliminate the lignin portion selectively to obtain alpha-cellulose in approximately 94% yield. Further treatments of this cellulose yielded nanocrystalline cellulose. The structure–property relationship studies were carried out by characterizing the obtained polymers by various standard methods and analytical techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-attenuated total reflection (FTIR-ATR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), energy dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDX-XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Almost 65% yield of pure cellulose was achieved, out of which 94% is the alpha-cellulose. This cellulose shows good thermal stability and crystallinity. The microscopic analysis of the nanocellulose showed a heterogeneous mix of irregular-shaped particles with a size range of 20–60 nm. The percentage crystallinity of alpha-cellulose and nanocellulose was found to be 68.9 and 71.8, respectively. Thus, this study shows that, this DPTM-based low-cost waste biomass can be a potential source to obtain cellulose and nano-cellulose.

Highlights

The current global initiative to promote research and innovation in the area of renewable agri-resources has led to the development of novel and high-value products based on lignocellulose
The removal of lignin is influenced by the concentration of alkali, reaction time and temperature
Individual nanoparticles and content smaller was nanocrystallites result of a that of the cellulose, while oxygen found to be were lower,formed owing as to athe applied reduction in hydrogen bonding caused by cellulose chain fragmentation

Summary

Introduction

The current global initiative to promote research and innovation in the area of renewable agri-resources has led to the development of novel and high-value products based on lignocellulose. A linear polymer composed of glucose units, is the most abundant of all naturally occurring organic materials, with annual production exceeding 1011 –1012 tons [1]. To convert this natural polymer into advanced materials, many studies pertaining to various sources of this polymer, waste agri-byproducts, different isolation strategies and its physicochemical properties have been carried out. In arid regions, the date palm has been one of the most widely cultivated plants, because of its sweet edible fruits It has been utilized for shelter, various handicraft products and for many other applications.

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