SURFACE MORPHOLOGY, COMPOSITIONS, CRYSTALLINITY, AND THERMAL STABILITY OF MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE DERIVED FROM  <i>DENDROCALAMUS ASPER</i> BAMBOO FIBER

Muhammad Aqil Asyraaf Mohd Mahadi; Nurul Syarima Nadia Sazman; Nik Fatin Nabihah Atiqah Nik Ramli; Hamizah Mokhtar; Megat Ahmad Kamal Megat Hanafiah; Zul Adlan Mohd Hir

Muhammad Aqil Asyraaf Mohd Mahadi Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA Pahang Branch, 26400 Bandar Tun Abdul Razak Jengka, Pahang, Malaysia.
Nurul Syarima Nadia Sazman Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA Pahang Branch, 26400 Bandar Tun Abdul Razak Jengka, Pahang, Malaysia.
Nik Fatin Nabihah Atiqah Nik Ramli Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA Pahang Branch, 26400 Bandar Tun Abdul Razak Jengka, Pahang, Malaysia.
Hamizah Mokhtar Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA Pahang Branch, 26400 Bandar Tun Abdul Razak Jengka, Pahang, Malaysia.
Megat Ahmad Kamal Megat Hanafiah Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA Pahang Branch, 26400 Bandar Tun Abdul Razak Jengka, Pahang, Malaysia.
Zul Adlan Mohd Hir Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Pahang, 26400 Bandar Tun Abdul Razak Jengka, Pahang, Malaysia

Keywords: Bamboo, dendrocalamus asper, extraction, microcrystalline cellulose

Abstract

Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) is a widely applied material in pharmaceutical, food and composites due to its biocompatibility, renewability and desired properties. Nevertheless, the conventional process for preparing MCC is wood or cotton cellulose based using alkaline and bleaching process which may not be sustainable in terms of resource depletion, deforestation, and environmental stability. Finding a renewable, sustainable source of MCC can help reverse this trend and encourage more eco-friendly manufacturing processes. Bamboo, especially fast-growing species such as Dendrocalamus asper (D. asper), provides an environmentally sound source with rich cellulose resources and is one of the promising raw materials for green preparation of MCC. Therefore, the present work is to prepare MCC from D. asper fiber and investigate its physicochemical characteristics. The MCC was prepared using alkali treatment of bamboo with NaOH, followed by acidified bleaching using NaClO₂ and HNO₃ and finally acid hydrolysis with H₂SO₄. Then, the MCC was taken for further characterizations using scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive x-ray (EDX), fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR), x-ray diffractometer (XRD), as well as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to investigate its surface morphologies, elemental composition, functional groups, crystallinity and thermal stability. The recovered MCC has rod-like structures and contains 43 % of carbon and 57 % of oxygen. The FTIR spectrum obtained is consistent with other MCC sources. The crystallinity index calculated for the MCC is 58 %. The MCC reveals initial weight loss and is thermally stable as temperature increases to 500 ºC. DTG analysis confirms MCC has thermal stability around 180-210 ºC. The MCC extracted using bamboo fiber offers different properties compared to MCC extracted using wood or cotton fibers, offering new opportunities for green industry development that aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).