Sago pith waste: morphology, chemical composition and thermal properties

Abstract

Comprehensive knowledge of the chemical components in the sago pith waste will facilitate the use of the materials in agricultural industrial sector and help to enhance their utilization in the chemical and biochemical related industry. This paper studied the chemical composition especially extractives, hemicellulose, α-cellulose, lignin and ash content as well as morphological and thermal properties of sago pith waste. The chemical compositions of sago pith waste were determined in accordance with the standard outlined in TAPPI test methods. The results revealed that the mean cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin values were 14.32, 17.45 and 4.83% respectively. FTIR spectra confirmed the presence of functional groups that represented cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Morphological observation showed that the average size of sago pith waste was 300-600 µm with sago starch granules were seen entrapped in parenchyma cells. Based on the results, sago pith waste can be used as a non-wood renewable source for other applications.