Isolation of Nanocellulose from Aquatic Wetland Plant-Eleocharis dulcis

Abstract

Eleocharis dulcis is a sustainable wetland material available in enormous quantities in Kalimantan, Indonesia. This study aimed to evaluate the suitability of the acid hydrolysis method for the isolation of nanocellulose of E. dulcis. The isolation process started with delignification, followed by the removal of hemicellulose to produce cellulose. The hydrolysis was performed at 45 ºC for 60 and 120 min, respectively, using sulphuric acid. Furthermore the nanocellulose was characterized using particle size analyzer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffractions. The particle size analysis showed that the diameter of the nanocellulose was affected by hydrolysis time. In addition, the X-ray diffractions results showed that the crystallinity index of the nanocellulose was 71.99% and 71.61% for the acid hydrolysis time of 60 min and 120 min, respectively. This study also demonstrated that the aquatic wetland plant, E. dulcis has a good potential for nanocellulose production in Indonesia.