Synthesis and characterization of carboxymethyl cellulose from Musa paradisiaca and Tithonia diversifolia

Abstract

Cellulose is the most abundant biomass in nature with properties that have enabled its application in different industrial processes. Its derivative, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose serves as an additive in food and non-food products such as desserts, detergents, paints etc. In this study, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) was synthesized from cellulose isolated from three ligno-cellulosic biomass, Tithonia diversifolia stalk (TDS), Musa parasidiaca stem (MPS) and unripe peel of Musa parasidiaca fruit (MPP). The isolation of cellulose was done by soda pulping and bleached using sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide, sodium hydroxide sequencing, followed by synthesis and purification of CMC. The physicochemical properties of the plant samples, isolated cellulose and bleached pulps including the synthesized CMC were determined. The effects of various processing stages on the properties of the cellulose and synthesized CMC were revealed in the study. CMC yield ranged from 62.57, 41.37 and 33.21% and the degree of substitution ranged from 0.33, 0.28 and 0.17 for TDS, MPS and MPP respectively. Further characterization of CMC using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) confirmed the presence of major expected peaks that showed differences in terms of carboxymethyl substitution as compared to that of commercial CMC. The study revealed the potential of these plants for production of industrial grade CMC.

Recent Developments of Carboxymethyl Cellulose

“…It is noteworthy that depending on the source of CMC’s cellulose and synthesis procedure, the DS value of CMC varies from one to another. For example, based on different sources, the recommended DS values at optimum condition are 0.17 ( Musa paradisiacal fruit) [ 133 ]; 0.28 ( Musa parasidiaca stem) [ 133 ]; 0.29 (oil palm fiber) [ 134 ]; 0.31 (palm kernel cake) [ 134 ]; 0.33 ( Tithonia diversifolia stalk) [ 133 ]; 0.35 ( M. sinensis ) [ 135 ]; 0.3–0.4 (cotton fiber) [ 30 , 31 , 32 ]; 0.51 (seaweed) [ 136 ]; 0.67 (sugar beet pulp) [ 137 ]; 0.76 ( C. papyrus ) [ 135 ]; 0.80 ( E. crassipes ) [ 135 ]; 0.82 (sago waste) [ 5 ]; 0.87 (durian rind) [ 9 ]; 1.07 (office waste paper) [ 19 ]; 2.39 (corn leaves) [ 138 ]; 1.21 (waste disposable paper cups) [ 139 ]; 1.76 (water hyacinth) [ 140 ]; 2.41 (corn husk) [ 119 ], etc. On the other hand, synthesis techniques including the range of concentration of reagents (NaOH, MCA) or reaction temperature and time, significantly impact the DS values.…”

Synthesis and Characterization of Cellulose Ethers from Screw Pine (Pandanus tectorius) Leaves Cellulose as Food Additives

“…The FTIR spectra show typical peaks of CMC (Alabi et al, 2020;Huang et al, 2017;Haleem et al, 2014;Sun et al, 2004). The presence of methylene group was confirmed by a peak at 1416 cm -1 for -CH alkane (bending).…”

Fabrication of cerium titanate cellulose fiber nanocomposite materials for the removal of methyl orange and methylene blue from polluted water by photocatalytic degradation

“…The sunflower seed hulls pre-treated with 100 g ethanol were washed many times with distilled water and then dried in an oven at 80 °C for 24 h. The pre-treated waste material was further digested with 18% (w/w) NaOH alkaline solution at 110 °C for 1 h. After digestion, the filtered pulp is thoroughly washed until there is no alkali residue, and the pH reaches 7 and then dried at 80 °C. The bleaching method was performed by the method characterized by Alabi et al ( 2020 ) but with a slight modification. In the bleaching procedure, 30 g of the air-dried samples was placed in a 5-L Erlenmeyer flask, and 1000 mL of 700 chlorites and 300 mL of 90%v/v acetic acid were added.…”