Investigating a hybrid approach for harvesting nanofibrillated cellulose from agricultural byproducts: sugarcane bagasse and pineapple crown leaves

Sugarcane bagasse (SCB) and pineapple crown leaves (PCL) as low-cost waste biomass generated from the industries were subjected to chemo-mechanical modification to compare the morphology, charge, and thermal stability of native and modified biomass, accompanied by their cellulose-rich fractions. A novel aspect of this research lies in the versatility of the hybrid approach for sustainable production of cellulose polymers from an array of biomass sources. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the surface morphology and structure of the samples were examined. To give thorough insights into the material characteristics, other techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), zeta potential, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA) were used. According to the findings, after being exposed to the hybrid treatment, the modified sample had a more ordered crystalline structure than the raw biomass (supported by the FTIR spectra), the XRD results indicated that the crystallinity index (CrI) raised with crystallite size. Although the cellulose-rich fraction extracted by the hybrid method showed better thermal stability, the overall thermal analysis revealed that biomass produced by the hybrid method had lower thermal stability than the raw biomass. The current work showed that combining ultrasonication with sulfuric acid hydrolysis is a successful hybrid method for separating cellulose nanofibers from the cellulosic plant fiber sources for reinforced composite products.

Graphical Abstract