Low-Cost Alkaline Pretreatments and Ultrafine Grinding in Nanocellulose Crystal Extraction from Giant Swamp Taro (Cyrtosperma merkusii) Processing Waste

Abstract

Agroindustry biomass are unlimited source for lignocellulosic ecofriendly nanocellulose fibers, with potentials as hydrophobic structural enhancers in biopolymer applications. Two major concerns in producing cellulose nano crystal (CNC); are obtaining a source not competing with food and a low-cost effective method to produce CNC. Alkali pretreatment combined with a mechanical treatment was performed on Giant Swamp Taro (GST) starch processing waste. The alkali pretreatment was useful in eliminating hemicellulose. The following disintegration process (ultrafine grinding) resulted GST CNC at the sizes of 449.6 nm to 78.26 nm. CNC results were thin flakes with fibrous network which appeared like nanowhiskers. Traces of coastal ecosystem mineral and rare elements are found in GST CNC as indicated in EDS, after all GST is a coastal plant.