Obtaining Nanocellulose From Green Coconut Fibers and Incorporation in Biodegradable Films of Starch Plasticized With Glycerol

Production of biodegradable starch nanocomposites using cellulose nanocrystals extracted from coconut fibers

“…The coconut cellulose nanocrystals examined in this study had length L values of 89-320 nm (average of 264.9±23.0 nm) and average diameter D of 8.10±1.21 nm. These results agree well with previously obtained data for cellulose nanocrystals extracted from coconut fibers, namely, L values of 80-500 nm and D values of 4-9 nm [5,26,40] . Silva et al [45] also reported an L value of 145 nm and average D of 1.5 nm for nanocrystals obtained from eucalyptus, while Costa et al [6] reported L = 157 nm and average D = 5.7 nm for nanocrystals obtained from licuri fiber.…”

“…The extraction of the cellulose pulp from the green coconut fiber was performed based on the works of Rosa et al [26] , Samir et al [30] , and Machado et al [5] . The coconut fibers were dried in a greenhouse and ground in a liquidizer to obtain a fine particulate.…”

“…The cellulose nanocrystals were prepared by acid hydrolysis using 64% H 2 SO 4 [5,6,26] , with 12 mL of cellulose pulp per gram of the acid subjected to constant agitation for 5 min at 50°C. After acid hydrolysis, the samples were filtered and their concentrations adjusted.…”

“…The technological adaption of biomaterials, particularly polymers, for the development of flexible films has been widely studied in recent years [4][5][6] . Several biopolymers such as polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids have been utilized as polymeric matrixes for the development of alternative biodegradable packaging, owing to their availability, renewability, low cost, environmental friendliness, and biodegradability [7][8][9] .…”

“…It would also lead to the creation of new consumer markets as the differentiated biodegradable properties of the films fit new consumer profiles, especially those who are prepared to pay more for products or services with a green stamp (a certificate granted to products manufactured for sustainable development) [28,29] . It is noteworthy that recent studies have highlighted the benefits of incorporating cellulose nanocrystals in flexible films produced from cassava starch, namely, the improved properties afforded by the produced biodegradable starch nanocomposites [5,6,10,12] . In the present study, we incorporated cellulose nanocrystals produced from green coconut fiber in flexible films with polymeric matrixes of tapioca starch and potato starch, respectively.…”