Isolation and characterisation of cellulose nanocrystal obtained from sugarcane peel

Abstract

This work was aimed at developing efficient and stable cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) from sugarcane peel, which has been of growing concern as a potential for various industrial applications and providing a solution to the problem of indiscriminate disposal of peels of sugarcane, which creates nuisance in the environment. The alkaline treatment with sodium hydroxide and bleaching with acidified sodium chlorite were used to isolate cellulose from sugarcane peel, followed by acid hydrolysis which was done at 45o C for 45 min using 64% sulphuric acid to prepare the CNC. The chemical composition of the samples and their physicochemical properties were studied. The untreated and treated samples were characterised using various techniques, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The CNC exhibited FT-IR spectra identified as cellulose structures. XRD showed that the CNC earmarked the structure of the cellulose nanocrystal with a crystallinity index of 99.2%. The SEM micrograph revealed fiber bundles separated into individualized CNC; the TEM image showed a needle-shaped CNC with a particle size of 20.57 nm and 153.05 nm in diameter and length, respectively. The TGA curve revealed a good thermal stability for the CNC. The results showed an effective synthesis of CNC from sugarcane peel. This material, therefore, has potential for diverse industrial applications including wastewater treatment, food wrapping and bionanocomposite for biomedical.