Microwave-irradiated novel isolation of nanocellulose from waste rice husk via modified chemo-mechanical route: characterization, in-silico prediction, and its antibacterial activity

Abstract

ABSTRACT The present work reports a novel and substantially faster method for isolating nanocellulose from waste rice husk. The isolation includes microwave-irradiation coupled with an improvised chemo-mechanical route using chemical pre-treatments followed by mechanical grinding. Dynamic light scattering results were found to be consistent with transmission electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed a crystallinity index of 64% and a yield of 75%. The effectiveness of isolation was validated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy which revealed the elimination of hemicellulose, pectin, silica, and lignin. The planes in X-ray diffraction analysis were verified by selective area electron diffraction patterns. Morphology by field emission scanning electron microscopy and stoichiometric analysis was examined through energy-dispersive spectroscopy. Due to its excellent antibacterial reaction against E. coli and S. aureus bacteria, the study focuses on the biomedical applications of nanocellulose. The work also presents an in-silico approach for predicting the mechanical strength of nanocellulose using GROMACS software.