Isolation and Characterization of Cellulose Nanofibrils from Banana Pseudostem, Oil Palm Trunk, and Kenaf Bast Fibers Using Chemicals and High-intensity Ultrasonication

• Published in: Journal of natural fibers Vol. 19; no. 13; pp. 5537 - 5550
• Main Authors: Abdul Razab, Mohammad Khairul Azhar, Mohd Ghani, Ros Syazmini, Mohd Zin, Farah Amanina, Nik Yusoff, Nik Alnur Auli, Mohamed Noor, An'Amt
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Taylor & Francis 01-12-2022; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Taylor & Francis Group
• Subjects: against-twisted yarn; Cellulose; Chemical treatment; Electron microscopes; fiber motion trace; Fibers; Field emission microscopy; Fourier transforms; Hemicellulose; Infrared spectroscopy; Kenaf; Micrography; Organic fibers; Photomicrographs; Scanning electron microscopy; twist reduction; Vegetable fibers; X-ray diffraction; yarn residual torque; Yarn structure; 光纤运动轨迹; 关键字; 扭曲减少; 纱线残余扭矩; 纱线结构
• ISSN: 1544-0478; 1544-046X
• DOI: 10.1080/15440478.2021.1881021

The adoption of high-intensity ultrasonication in the isolation process of cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) as an economical, timesaving, and environmental-friendly process has been explored. Three types of raw organic fibers, i.e., banana pseudostem, oil palm trunk, and kenaf bast were analyzed for the production of CNF using the process mentioned earlier. Before the raw organic fibers were subjected to a high-intensity ultrasonication process, it underwent an alkaline treatment to eliminate the non-cellulosic compounds. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) micrographs confirmed the presence of nanofibrils in all three different types of CNF. The frequency, amplitude, and duration of ultrasonication used in this study were sufficient to produce CNF. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results indicated that the chemical treatment employed in this paper was effective in removing the compounds, especially lignin and hemicellulose. The increase in crystallinity, which is one of the advantages of CNF, was observed from the X-ray diffraction (XRD) results. Hence, it can be deduced that high-intensity ultrasonication could simplify the complex process of CNF isolation compared to the conventional method, widening the utilization and source of CNF in the industry.