Title:Isolation and Characterization of Cellulose Nanofiber Obtained
From Agriculture Waste
Volume: 15
Issue: 3
Author(s): Shabib Sulaiman Ali Al Rashdi, Ganesh N. Patil*, Noura Ali Moosa Al Balushi and Saravanan Ayaavu Manivannan
Affiliation:
- College of Engineering, National University of Science and Technology, Muscat, 111, Oman
Keywords:
Municipal solid waste, agricultural waste, fiber, biomass, cellulose, date palm, nitrocellulose, bioplastic.
Abstract:
Background: The fibers of date palm (DPFs) were used as a raw material to
isolate cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) to assess their potential as reinforcements of composite
materials in producing Bioplastic. The isolation of Nano cellulose (NCs) from DPF
is still lacking, and the authors are not aware of any previous publication concerning the
isolation of NCs from DPF.
Objective: The date palm has huge potential in the application as a reinforcement agent
to manufacture bio-nano composites and can be considered a renewable source of nanofibers
with an etymology of agro-waste.
Methods: High-purity cellulose nanofibers were isolated from DPFs through an environmentally
friendly treatment that combined chemical (alkali & bleaching) and mechanical
processes (ball milling).
Results: A high yield of CNFs was successfully extracted, with 50% CNFs from overall
DPFs. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results revealed the effects of isolation
treatments on fiber morphology and showed long, loose nanofiber bundles with 8-100
nm diameter. FTIR results showed that noncellulosic components were effectively removed.
X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the improved crystallinity of the processed
fibers with a high crystalline index of 69.78%.
Conclusion: TGA results showed an enhancement in the thermal properties of the nanofibers.
The removal of hemicellulose and lignin increased the crystallinity of the fibers,
and the extracted CNFs were used in the synthesis of Bioplastic by using glycerol as a
plasticizer and corn starch as a matrix using the casting method. The feasibility study
proved that NC production is feasible in Oman and successfully yielded cellulose nanofibers
with potential in advanced applications. The availability of raw materials is sufficient
to sustain the plan with a total capital investment of OMR 9,694,127, an operating
cost of OMR 10,058,976, and a total annual net profit of OMR 2,235,445.926, which
shows an ROI of 23%/year with a payback period of 4.34 years.