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. 2019 Oct 24;5(10):e02635.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02635. eCollection 2019 Oct.

Chemically purified cellulose and its nanocrystals from sugarcane baggase: isolation and characterization

Suter K Evans  1 , Omwoyo N Wesley  1   2 , Oyaro Nathan  1 , Makwena J Moloto  2
Affiliations

Chemically purified cellulose and its nanocrystals from sugarcane baggase: isolation and characterization

Suter K Evans et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

Agro-wastes such as sugar cane bagasse can be explored for use in different aspects. Its applicability as a source of cellulose has attracted much interests especially in biomedical field among various applications. In the current work chemically purified cellulose (CPC) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were effectively extracted from sugarcane bagasse (SCB). The cellulose was obtained by chemical treatment of SCB using HNO3, NaOH and a bleaching agent. Nanocrystals were further prepared from the extracted cellulose using H2SO4 hydrolysis followed by washing with deionized water and acetone. The obtained materials were characterized for surface morphological using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The thermal properties were evaluated using TGA/DTG. The FTIR showed the disappearance of the peaks responsible for the hemicelluloses and lignin. These results were confirmed by TGA which proved gradual elimination of non-cellulosic constituents. X-ray Diffractometer depicted an increase in crystallinity occasioned by sequential treatments to get the cellulose nanocrystals. Cellulose nanocrystals had a spherical shape with a diameter of 38nm as compared to the chemically purified cellulose which had a diameter of 76nm. The CNCs prepared with this method were seen to be less agglomerated and more crystalline thus possess a higher potential as bionanocomposite either for biomedical applications or for wastewater treatment among other industrial application. This approach also provides an opportunity for the sugar companies to effectively manage their waste product.

Keywords: Baggase; By-product; Degradation; Hemicellulose; Hydrolysis; Materials chemistry.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Physical appearance of collected sugarcane bagasse (a), crushed sugarcane baggase (b), extracted cellulose (c) and nanocrystals (d).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
FTIR spectra for SCB, CPC and CNCs.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
X-ray diffraction patterns of SCB, CPC and CNCs.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
TGA(a) and TDG (b) curves of SCB, CPC and CNCs.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
TEM image (a) and particle size distribution (b) of chemically purified cellulose extracted from sugarcane bagasse.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
TEM image (a) and particle size distribution (b) of cellulose nanocrystals prepared from the extracted chemically purified cellulose.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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