Nanocrystalline Cellulose and Amorphous Cellulose from Fibers of Banana, Water Hyacinth and Bamboo

Abstract

The growing demand for eco-friendly materials has driven research into new alternative research on using cellulose derived from agricultural waste. This study investigates the synthesis and analysis properties of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) and amorphous cellulose (AC) obtained from three agricultural residues: banana trunk fibers (BNNF), water hyacinth (WHF) fibers, and bamboo fibers (BBF) by means of the process of hydrolysis and dissolution in sulfuric acid. The research focuses on optimizing the production conditions and examining the structural properties, morphology and physicochemical properties of the obtained nanocellulose. The optimized acid hydrolysis conditions gave the highest NCC yields of 68. 44% for BNNF, 85. 3% for WHF, and 69. 46% for BBF, while the acid dissolution conditions gave the highest AC yields of 62.2% for BNNF, 71.6% for WHF, and 65.1% for BBF. Analysis of material properties using techniques XRD, FTIR, SEM and TEM revealed structural differences between NCC and AC. In this regard, NCC showed a high crystallinity index (82.3 %-89.5 %), which was a result of the efficient removal of amorphous parts by hydrolysis process, and the TEM image showed the appearance of straight rods (whisker-like morphology) with a diameter of 4–20 nm and a length of 50– 500nm. In contrast, AC showed a lower crystallinity index. (26.2%-35.45%) and appeared to be clustered together due to the dissolution of the crystal structure. Furthermore, zeta potential analysis revealed that NCC had significantly better colloidal stability (−30.93 mV to −43.24 mV) compared to AC (−19.73 mV to −17.25 mV), which was due to the formation of charged sulfate ester groups during the acid hydrolysis process. This stability made NCC and AC more suitable for applications that required different stable dispersion in colloidal systems. This research highlighted the potential upscale of NCC and AC as sustainable materials for biocomposites, biomedical applications and industrial processes. In particular, this study could be considered the first time that bamboo sawdust, banana trunks and water hyacinth have been successfully converted into nanocellulose, demonstrating the feasibility of harnessing these renewable resources to develop green technologies. The research results not only helped solve the environmental problems related to agricultural waste but also paved the way for innovative cellulose applications in sustainable materials development.