Abstract
This study explores the possibility of transforming lignocellulose-rich agricultural waste materials into value-added products. Cellulose was extracted from an empty fruit bunch of oil palm and further modified into carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), a water-soluble cellulose derivative. The CMC was then employed as the polymeric content in fabrication of solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) films incorporated with lithium iodide. To enhance the ionic conductivity of the solid polymer electrolytes, the compositions were optimized with different amounts of glycerol as a plasticizing agent. The chemical and physical effects of plasticizer content on the film composition were studied by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. FTIR and XRD analysis confirmed the interaction plasticizer with the polymer matrix and the amorphous nature of fabricated SPEs. The highest ionic conductivity of 6.26 × 10−2 S/cm was obtained with the addition of 25 wt % of glycerol. By fabricating solid polymer electrolytes from oil palm waste-derived cellulose, the sustainability of the materials can be retained while reducing the dependence on fossil fuel-derived materials in electrochemical devices.
Highlights
Malaysia is one of the world’s leading producers of palm oil, giving rise to the production of enormous amounts of agricultural waste from the oil palm industry
The chemical identity of the cellulose extracted from oil palm waste and the carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) derivative was confirmed via NMR, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and DSC analysis in our previous publication [18]
The CMC-LiI-based solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) plasticized with glycerol were successfully fabricated using
Summary
Malaysia is one of the world’s leading producers of palm oil, giving rise to the production of enormous amounts of agricultural waste from the oil palm industry. 100 tonnes of fresh oil palm fruit bunches processed, about 22 tonnes of crude palm oil and 26 tonnes of empty fruit bunches are produced. These oil palm wastes are rich in cellulose, a natural polymer with excellent mechanical properties which can be exploited for various material developments. One of such novel applications is the employment of cellulose as the polymeric material for fabrication of solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) films.
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