Characteristics of Microcellulose from Sengon Treated with Alkali-Bleaching Process
Nur Ikhtiarini, Masruri Masruri, Siti Mariyah Ulfa, Widodo

Brawijaya University

Abstract

Local sengon (Paraserianthes falcataria) is fast growing plant that is widely cultivated in Indonesia, especially from the East Java area. Mostly, sengon becomes exported commodity, but this plant is also widely used as a supporting material for building construction processes and plywood. Analysis of the chemical components shows that sengon wood contains 46-49% cellulose. Thus far, many studies have focused on the formation of microcellulose to enhance the quality and wider application of the cellulose itself. Hence, this paper reports the preparation of microcellulose from sengon wood. The method involves the isolation of cellulose from lignin by delignification and bleaching process using NaOH and NaOCl, respectively, followed by washing the product until reaching neutral pH solution. Then, the dried powder was hydrolyzed using formic acid 30% and 60% to form microcellulose. The characterization of the synthesized cellulose were yield determination, FTIR, XRD, and SEM.

Keywords: cellulose, microcellulose, Alkali-bleaching

Topic: Organic Chemistry