The isolation of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) from empty fruit bunch fibre (EFB-fibre) using acid hydrolysis through steam treatment (autoclave) followed by ultrasonication has been successfully established. The important parameter studied was the concentration of sulphuric acid (5%, 15% and 25%) at variable fixed reaction time and temperature. The resulting MCC was characterized using FTIR, TGA, XRD and SEM. FTIR transmission at 1163 cm-1 confirmed that the structure of cellulose was retained after undergoing acid hydrolysis. Thermal stability of MCC increased after being treated with H2SO4, which was determined using TG analysis. The morphological features were identified using Scanning Electron microscope (SEM), which showed the diameters of MCC to be in the range of 10 to 200 µm. The structural property of MCC was studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the results showed that the MCC produced has crystallinity index of 72%. The results revealed that the parameters used tend to influence the physicochemical properties of MCC produced. Therefore, the MCC isolated from EFB fibres will be used as precursor for future EFB derived nanocellulose as well as a promising subject in nanocomposite research.
Nanocellulose was fabricated from empty fruit bunch (EFB)-derived microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) through combined acid hydrolysis with sulfuric and hydrochloric acids and high-pressure homogenization. The effects of acid-to-MCC ratio and the number of high-pressure homogenizations passes on nanoparticle morphology were investigated. The MCC was treated with different concentrations of sulphuric acid (5% to 25%) through the hydrolysis process. The diameter of the acid treated MCC fibres was reduced to roughly 8 m in Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) micrographs, while the length of the fibres was reduced by several microns when compared to untreated fibres. The suspensions of MCC were passed through a high pressure homogenizer at a constant pressure of 800 bar with passing times of 10, 20 and 30 cycles. After 30 cycles, the final suspension of nanocellulose (NC) became cloudy. This was a visual indication that the particles were converted to smaller sizes and were less entangled. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) results showed that the particle size of nanocellulose ranged between 18 to 20 nm. As a result, the combination of sulphuric acid hydrolysis and high-pressure homogenization operations could be used as an efficient chemo29 mechanical technique for producing nanocellulose from various cellulosic sources.
Empty Fruit Bunches (EFB) are abundance residues from palm oil plantation was recognised as a potential material for manufacture such as particleboard and medium density fibreboard (MDF). The objective of this study is to identify and assess the potential effects of chemical treatment and concentration on the mechanical and bonding properties of MDF from EFB oil palm fibres. The EFB fibres were treated at 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8% of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and acetic acid (CH?COOH), and the fibres were used in the MDF production. Mechanical test included modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE) and internal bonding (IB) were conducted. Between the chemical treatment and the concentration, the chemical types used had a more prominent effect compared to the concentration. This study also shows that both treatments resulted in different MDF performance, where acid acetic fibre produced better bending and bonding properties. The optimum condition was 0.4% for NaOH and 0.6% for CH?COOH to produced panels with good strength and better dimensional stability. Such sample for 0.4% NaOH had 17.9 MPa, 1297 MPa and 0.48 MPa, and for 0.6% CH?COOH had 22.1 MPa, 1641 MPa and 0.56 MPa, for MOR, MOE and IB, respectively.
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