Compositional Analysis and Characterisation of Non-edible Plant Biomass for Carboxymethyl Cellulose Production

Abstract

This study assesses the compositional analysis and characterization of eight non-edible plant biomass identified as a potential feedstock to produce carboxymethyl cellulose. The materials' contents were ascertained by gravimetric analysis, and they were further characterized using Fourier transforms Infrared spectroscopy. According to the research, cellulose was present in substantial amounts ranging from 33 % to 41 %, with sugarcane bagasse having the highest concentration. The percentage of hemicellulose ranged from 18 % to 28 %, with corn cob having the highest percentage. Also discovered was that lignin content varied between 9 % and 22 %, with mahogany having the highest amount amongst the samples. The FTIR spectroscopic analysis of all eight samples reveals a broad band at around 3300 cm-1, which is caused by the stretching vibration of the cellulose's O-H groups. The observed peaks at 1600 cm-1 and 1500 cm-1 correlated to the hemicellulose and lignin's respective C=O and C=C stretching vibrations. Additionally, a significant sharp peak that matched the stretching vibrations in the skeleton of the pyranose ring, C-O-C, was seen at roughly 1050 cm-1. Thus, the findings of this study indicate that all eight samples can yield a respectable amount of cellulose, suggesting that these wastes may serve as feedstocks for the creation of biopolymers like carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC).