Synthesis and Characterization of Carboxymethyl Cellulose (CMC) from Palm Leaf Fronds (Borassus Flabellifer)

Abstract

Palm frond fibers are one of the wastes that are underutilized by society and have a cellulose content of 54.27% so they have the potential to be made into carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). This research was conducted to determine the process of synthesizing CMC from palm frond fibers and the characteristics of CMC from palm frond fibers. The methods used in this research are synthesis and characterization. The CMC synthesis process consists of alkalization and carboxymethylation processes. Characteristics of palm frond fiber CMC include yield, color, pH and FITR test. The results showed that the CMC characteristics of palm leaf fiber produced a yield of 90%, pH 6.83 and a grayish white color. FTIR CMC results from palm leaf fiber show the -OH group in the absorption area of 3331.36 cm-1, C-H in the absorption area of 2891.5 cm-1, and the -COC- group in the absorption area of 1000-1300 cm-1. Keywords: Palm Frond Fiber, Carboxymethyl Cellulose (CMC), Cellulose, Color