Preparation of Microcrystalline Cellulose from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fibre Using Steam-Assisted Acid Hydrolysis

Abstract

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.

Morphology and Dispersion Stability of Nanocellulose Extracted from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fibre by High-Pressure Homogenization

“…The preparation of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was carried out using published procedure of Ismail et al, [19]. Acid hydrolysis process of MCC was conducted with several concentrations of sulphuric acid (5%, 15%, and 25%).…”

“…Out of 101.02 metric tonnes (MT) of processed oil palm empty fruit bunch fibre (OPEFB), the total oil palm biomass residues (dry weight basis) from replanting, pruning, and milling activities in Malaysia were projected to be 51. 19 MT in 2017 [4]. In addition to extractives in the cell wall, OPEFB is a lignocellulosic residue that contains 50% cellulose, 25% hemicellulose, and 20% lignin [5].…”

Transformation of Oil Palm Biomass into Value-Added Components

“…However, Haafiz et al [43] reported that acid hydrolysis using 2.5 N HCl at 105 °C, followed by washing using 5% diluted ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) produced rough, compact, and regular spherical MCC particles. The high crystallinity index proved that acid hydrolysis did not alter the crystal structure, hence the MCC had good thermal stability and high potential to be used as good reinforcing material in polymeric materials [44]. Apart from that, Ismail et al [44] reported that the MCC extracted from EFB using 5-25% H2SO4 under pressurized steam for 1 h showed maximal thermal durability which can be used as the nanocomposites.…”

“…The high crystallinity index proved that acid hydrolysis did not alter the crystal structure, hence the MCC had good thermal stability and high potential to be used as good reinforcing material in polymeric materials [44]. Apart from that, Ismail et al [44] reported that the MCC extracted from EFB using 5-25% H2SO4 under pressurized steam for 1 h showed maximal thermal durability which can be used as the nanocomposites. In contrast, Owolabi et al [45] studied the influence of alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) concentration on the pre-treatment process of OPF before bleaching with acidified NaClO2 and acid hydrolysis using HCl.…”