Production of Microfibrillated Cellulose by Novel Continuous Steam Explosion Assisted Chemo-Mechanical Methods and Its Characterizations

Abstract

In this study, microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) was successfully isolated with different time treatments of steam explosion, which were combined with chemo-mechanical stages. The objectives of this study were to isolate and characterize MFC obtained from steam explosion—assisted novel chemo-mechanical methods, and to investigate the effects of different steam explosion times on obtained MFC. Characterizations used were SEM, TEM, PSA, GC–MS, EDS, XRD, FTIR, and STA. The result of this study showed an optimal diameter range of MFC samples was between 23.45 and 77.65 nm at 1 h steam explosion time. However, MFC fibers were aggregated until its particle size distribution by number was about 645.83 nm. That lignocellulose MFC comprised C, N, and O with a dramatic decrease of Si. Most of the samples had many transmittance peaks, indicating the presence of cellulose with –OH, –CH2, C–H, and C–O functional groups whereas IR peaks designated to hemicellulose and lignin were almost absent. The presence of n-heptadecanol-1; n-nonadecanol-1; n-nonadecanol; hexadecanoic acid, ethyl ester; ethyl oleate; and octadecanoic acid, ethyl ester was linked with existance of cellulose and cementing agents (hemicellulose and lignin). There was an increase of cellulose crystallinity along with the increase in steam explosion time. Native cellulose or cellulose I was the initial nature of obtained MFC. The decrease of thermal stability of hemicellulose was correlated with acid treatment and acetyl groups, while the increase of cellulose thermal stability was in accordance with the increase of cellulose crystallinity index.