FABRICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE FROM SENGON WOOD SAWDUST

Sengon wood sawdust is a wood industry waste the quantity of which is increasing because of the high market demand of the wood. This condition demands innovation in waste processing. Microcrystalline cellulose is pure cellulose obtained from the hydrolysis of alpha-cellulose. This research aims to fabricate and characterize microcrystalline cellulose from Sengon wood sawdust. The initial stage was carried out to break lignocellulose bonds through the delignification process using 2% NaOH, followed by hydrolysis of alpha-cellulose with 4N HCl (1:40) at 80 degrees C. This acid treatment aims to obtain a crystalline form of cellulose by removing the amorphous part. SEM micrographs show a smooth surface with few holes and spherical fibers. XRD analysis revealed the cellulose type I structure of MCC with a crystallinity index of 33.8% due to acid hydrolysis treatment. Chemical treatment causes the loss of the hemicelluloses and lignin, as confirmed from the FT-IR analysis results, and higher thermal stability of microcrystalline cellulose, as found by the DSC analysis.