Isolation and Characterization of Cellulose Whiskers from Kenaf (&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Hibiscus cannabinus&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; L.) Bast Fibers

Lukmanul Hakim Zaini,Paridah Md Tahir,Mehdi Jonoobi,Samaneh Karimi

doi:10.4236/jbnb.2013.41006

Isolation and Characterization of Cellulose Whiskers from Kenaf (&lt;i&gt;Hibiscus cannabinus&lt;/i&gt; L.) Bast Fibers

Lukmanul Hakim Zaini, Paridah Md Tahir + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.4236/jbnb.2013.41006

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Abstract

Cellulose whiskers were isolated from kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) bast fibers via sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid hydrolysis. Raw kenaf bast, NaOH treated, bleached fibers, sulfuric acid whiskers (SAW) and hydrochloric acid whiskers (HClW) morphology, functional groups, crystallinity, and thermal stability were characterized. The TEM images showed that the sulfuric acid and HCl whiskers have average diameters and length range of 3 nm and 100 - 500 nm, respectively. The FTIR study indicated that during the conversion process, most of the hemicellulose and almost all the lignin were removed by the NaOH and subsequent bleaching treatments. The crystallinity of HCl whiskers was found to be higher (84%) than that of sulfuric acid whiskers (72%). Thermogravimetric analysis indicated that HCl whiskers had better thermal stability than the sulfuric acid ones. In addition, a two-stage decomposition behavior was revealed by TGA in the sulfuric acid whiskers because of incorporation of the sulfate group with the cellulose crystals.

Highlights

Cellulose is the most abundant biorenewable material on earth
Cellulose whiskers were isolated from kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) bast fibers via sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid hydrolysis
The Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) study indicated that during the conversion process, most of the hemicellulose and almost all the lignin were removed by the NaOH and subsequent bleaching treatments

Summary

Introduction

Cellulose is the most abundant biorenewable material on earth. It is an infinite source of raw material for environmentally-friendly and biocompatible products [1]. The yearly biomass production of cellulose has been estimated at about 1.5 trillion tons [1]. The growing global interest in renewable resources and environmentallycompatible materials has brought a considerable scientific and technological research in the field of cellulose. It is biosynthesized and deposited either in a continuous manner whereby it is arranged in highly linear and parallel manner, i.e., crystalline region, or in a loose and lowordered orientation, i.e. amorphous region [2]

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