Extraction and Isolation of Cellulose from Cladodes of Cactus Opuntia Ficus-Indica

Abstract

Cellulose is the most abundant material in the earth, it is considered a renewable polymer of the cell walls of wood and plant cells, their interest and their use in different field is the purpose of extracting it namely: cellulose native (cotton), the transformation of cellulose into sheets (paper and filter paper), cupric cellulose, zinc cellulose (industrial applications), the functionalization of cellulosic materials in the field of printed electronics, textile, treatment, medicine, and agribusiness. The objective of this study, is the extraction of cellulose at several stages and recovery of a waste based on old cactus rackets, type Opuntia ficus -indica smooth. The cellulose extracted showed good isolation, dispersion and purification of nanofibrils by the removal of oils, mucilage, pectins, hemicellulose and coloring substances. The substitution of ethanol by acetone in the extraction protocol used [1], gave suspensions of purified cell walls is well individualized, on the other hand the cellulose extracted from the beet pulp, chuck pulp prickly pear fruit peel requires a mechanical homogenizer.