Extraction and characterization of cellulose single fibers from native african napier grass

K Obi Reddy; C Uma Maheswari; M S Dhlamini; B M Mothudi; V P Kommula; Jinming Zhang; Jun Zhang; A Varada Rajulu

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.01.110

Extraction and characterization of cellulose single fibers from native african napier grass

Carbohydr Polym. 2018 May 15:188:85-91. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.01.110. Epub 2018 Feb 2.

Authors

K Obi Reddy¹, C Uma Maheswari², M S Dhlamini³, B M Mothudi³, V P Kommula⁴, Jinming Zhang⁵, Jun Zhang⁵, A Varada Rajulu⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physics, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Private Bag X6, Florida, 1710, Johannesburg, South Africa. Electronic address: obireddyk80@gmail.com.
² Department of Chemical Engineering Technology, Doornfontein Campus, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, 2028, South Africa.
³ Department of Physics, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Private Bag X6, Florida, 1710, Johannesburg, South Africa.
⁴ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, University of Botswana, Private Bag UB0022, Gaborone, Botswana.
⁵ CAS Key Lab Engineering Plastics, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China.
⁶ Centre for Composite Materials, International Research Centre, Kalasalingam University, Anand Nagar, KrishnanKovil, 626126, India.

PMID: 29525176
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.01.110

Abstract

With increasing awareness of protecting the environment, the demand for renewable and environmental materials is increasing. In this work, the cellulose single fibers (CSFs) were extracted from the African native Napier grass fibers (NGFs) by chemical process. NGFs and CSFs were characterized for their chemical composition, structure, morphology, crystallinity and thermal properties using, chemical analysis, FTIR, 13C CP/MAS NMR, SEM, XRD and TGA techniques. The resulted CSFs had higher α-cellulose content, crystallinity and thermal stability than the pristine NGFs. SEM images showed cleaner and rough surfaces for the CSFs when compared to those of NGFs. About 69% of the extracted CSFs showed a diameter range between 4 and 10 μm. FTIR and 13C CP/MAS NMR spectra confirmed the removal of lignin and hemicellulose components after chemical treatments.

Keywords: Cellulose single fibers; Napier grass; Structural properties; Thermal stability.