Synthesis, Characterization and Cytotoxicity Studies of Nanocrystalline Cellulose from the Production Waste of Rubber-wood and Kenaf-bast Fibers

Publication date: Available online 13 April 2019Source: European Polymer JournalAuthor(s): Tuerxun Duolikun, Thiruchelvi Pulingam, Nurul Izza Nordin, Chen You Wei, Jahangir bin Kamaldin, Nurhidayatullaili Binti Muhd Julkapli, Lee Hwei Voon, Leo Bey Fen, Mohd Rafie Bin JohanAbstractIn the present study, nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) was successfully prepared from raw rubberwood fiber (RRaw) and raw Kenaf-bast fiber (KRaw) via a series of multi-step chemical-mechanical purification techniques, namely, alkalization treatment, hydrogen peroxide bleaching and acid hydrolysis. The obtained nanocellulose yields were 27.51% and 32.53% for RRaw and KRaw, respectively. The crystallinity index of the RRaw and KRaw based nanocellulose increased from 61.21% to 74.34% and 54.12% to 73.19%, respectively, after acid hydrolysis. Morphological characterization by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) clearly showed the formation of rod-shaped NCC with an average diameter of 5.14 ± 1.91 nm and 5.27 ± 2.38 nm for RRaw and KRaw, respectively. Their size distributions significantly reduced compared to raw cellulose biomass fiber and extracted cellulose (EC). Furthermore, changes in the Fourier transform-infrared (FTIR) peaks showed that amorphous regions (e.g. hemicelluloses and lignin) were successfully removed from the fibre surface. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of as-synthesized NCC confirmed its thermostability. Cytotoxicity tests demonstrate...
Source: European Polymer Journal - Category: Chemistry Source Type: research