Optimization of Crystalline Nanocellulose (CNC) preparation condition from coconut husk

Abstract

Crystalline nanocellulose (CNC) is a derived of cellulose with nano size that can be found in many lignocellulosic biomass such as coconut husk. CNC has its special features on developing new materials as well as to improve the performance of other products. CNC can be produced by two steps of dissolution process namely alkaline pretreatment and followed by acid hydrolysis. Three of the operating parameters were identified in this research known as temperature, reaction time and solvent concentration. Central Composite Design (CCD) was used in analyzing the optimum conditions of CNC production. There were 12 runs of preliminary analysis and 20 runs optimization analysis was carried out. From the result obtained, the optimum condition for CNC production was 60.00 min, 62.50 ℃ and 65.50% and the highest solubility obtained was 26.53%. Characterization of the CNC was also carried out by using equipment Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to analyse the bond strength of CNC and surface structure respectively. Overall, this project optimize the production of CNC via dissolution of coconut husk with acid hydrolysis which is a common and economical method.