Abstract
The aim was to explore the utilization of oil palm mesocarp fiber (OPMF) as a source for the production of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC). OPMF was first treated with alkali and then bleached before the production of CNC by acid hydrolysis (H2SO4). The produced materials were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a transmission electron microscope (TEM). It was proven that acid hydrolysis can increase the crystallinity of bleached OPMF and reduce the dimension of cellulose to nano scale. Changes in the peaks of the FTIR spectrum at 2852 (C-H stretching), 1732 (C=O stretching) and 1234 cm−1 (C-O stretching) indicated that the alkali treatment completely removed hemicelluloses and lignin from the fiber surface. This can be seen from the thermogram obtained from the TGA characterization. Morphological characterization clearly showed the formation of rod-shaped CNCs. The promising results prove that OPMF is a valuable source for the production of CNC.
Highlights
Palm oil trees (Elaeis guineesis) originated from West Africa, are one of the major agricultural crops contributing to Malaysia’s economic growth
The Oil palm mesocarp fiber (OPMF) consisted of 32.22% of cellulose, 31.62% hemicellulose and 23.89%
cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) have been successfully isolated from OPMF by acid hydrolysis, after the OPMF was exposed to an alkaline treatment and a bleaching process
Summary
Palm oil trees (Elaeis guineesis) originated from West Africa, are one of the major agricultural crops contributing to Malaysia’s economic growth. Throughout the years, Malaysia has harnessed the benefits of the oil palm industry and has become important in the industry internationally [1]. The biomass generated from Malaysia’s oil palm industry was 83 million tonnes in 2012, and is expected to grow to over 100 million tonnes by 2020 [2]. This biomass includes the oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB), palm kernel shells (PKS), oil palm mesocarp fibers (OPMF), palm oil mill effluent (POME), oil palm trunks (OPT), oil palm leaves (OPL) and oil palm fronds (OPF). The oil palm biomass is mainly composed of lignin, cellulose (α-cellulose) and hemicellulose, and the composition varies .
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