title: Isolation and characterization of microcrystalline cellulose from oil palm biomass residue.
abstract: In this work, we successfully isolated microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) from oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber-total chlorine free (TCF) pulp using acid hydrolysis method. TCF pulp bleaching carried out using an oxygen-ozone-hydrogen peroxide bleaching sequence. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy indicates that acid hydrolysis does not affect the chemical structure of the cellulosic fragments. The morphology of the hydrolyzed MCC was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), showing a compact structure and a rough surface. Furthermore, atomic force microscopy (AFM) image of the surface indicates the presence of spherical features. X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows that the MCC produced is a cellulose-I polymorph, with 87% crystallinity. The MCC obtained from OPEFB-pulp is shown to have a good thermal stability. The potential for a range of applications such as green nano biocomposites reinforced with this form of MCC and pharmaceutical tableting material is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Polymer Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Skudai UTM, Johor, Malaysia.
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Mohamad Haafiz
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Eichhorn
authors.forename: Azman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jawaid
mesh_terms: D029064:Araceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry; D006868:Hydrolysis; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D000073878:Palm Oil; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000737:chemistry*; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013464:Sulfuric Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D013499:Surface Properties; D013696:Temperature; D013818:Thermogravimetry; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D010938:Plant Oils; D013464:Sulfuric Acids; D000073878:Palm Oil; D002482:Cellulose; C033158:sulfuric acid; C109691:microcrystalline cellulose