USING LIGNOCELLULOSIC PRECURSORS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE ACETATE. The feasibility of obtaining cellulose acetate from lignocellulosic precursors is of great interest from the environmental, economic and technological points of view. Herein, sugarcane bagasse and vegetable sponge (Luffa cylindrica) were used as precursors to produce cellulose using the organosolv extraction procedure. From the extracted celluloses, the production of cellulose acetate was carried out by the homogeneous acetylation method. The obtained materials were characterized by FTIR, solid-state 13 C NMR, XRD, TG and DSC techniques. The results revealed the success of both the extraction and the acetylation processes, which provided cellulose with high crystallinity and cellulose acetates with high degrees of substitution (cellulose triacetates).