Isolation and characterization of cellulose nanofibrils from agro-biomass of Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) rind, using a soft and benign acid hydrolysis

Cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) were exfoliated from the rind of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) through pre-treatments like dewaxing, moderate alkali delignification and bleaching with alkaline hydrogen peroxide. CNFs were extracted via organic-inorganic mixture acid hydrolysis using acetic acid-HCl mixture (6:1) under mild hydrothermal conditions followed by homogenization. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA/DTA), dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used to define the materials that were produced in each stage of the extraction process. The CNFs have an average diameter of about 28 nm, crystallinity index of 87.36 % and crystalline size ca. 3.38 nm. The fibers exhibited a maximum degradation temperature of 328.5 degrees C and mean zeta potential value-24.1 mV signifying high degrees of stability. The elemental analysis confirms the excellent purity of CNFs with 48.02 % carbon and 51.98 % oxygen, pointing to the success of the isolation method. These fibers can be used in the synthesis of biode-gradable organic/inorganic nanocomposites, especially for catalytic applications.