Optimizing Yield of Microcrystalline Cellulose from Empty Fruit Bunch Via Hydrolysis Using Ionic Liquid

Abstract

Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) has been widely recognized as an important material with high potential in contributing to wide range of field including nanocomposite, biomedical applications, electroactive polymers, and many others. MCC has been isolated extensively using conventional method such as acid hydrolysis. However, utilization of hazardous and volatile solvent in acid hydrolysis has raised concern on the impact to the environment and the toxicity level of the as-produced MCC for potential application in biomedical field. In this study, new generation of environmental benign solvent named ionic liquid (IL) was utilized to extract MCC from empty fruit bunch (EFB). The yield of MCC has been optimized by varying three factors, namely temperature, reaction time and solvent concentration. It has been observed that the highest yield of MCC produced using IL is 31.44%, achieved at optimum conditions of 95°C, 129 minutes and 95% solvent concentration. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra have confirmed the absence of absorption bands corresponding to lignin and hemicellulose, suggesting that almost pure MCC has been obtained. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs have further revealed that the MCC had been agglomerated which resulted in micro-size cellulose ranging from 10 – 20 μm, highly probably due to inappropriate drying method.