Preparation of Nanocellulose from Coffee Pulp and Its Potential as a Polymer Reinforcement

Coffee is one of the most valued agricultural productsregardingits high commercialization rate. During the production of coffee beans,coffee pulp is obtained as one of the main byproducts with a cellulosecontent of more than 30% of dry weight. This research focused on thevalue-added potential of coffee pulp fiber as the reinforcement incomposite materials. The nanocellulose coffee pulp (NCP) from thecoffee pulp (CP) was prepared and subsequently used as a filler toreinforce the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix for the improvement ofPVA composite properties. The CP was treated via alkali and bleachingtreatment before the production of NCP using the acid hydrolysis treatment.The TEM result of NCP showed the successful preparation of NCP withan average diameter of 16.03 & PLUSMN; 4.70 nm with increasing crystallinitysize and crystallinity index. The effect of glycerol (G) in the PVAmatrix was observed. The result showed that glycerol had a play-roleas a plasticizer for increased flexibility and decreased hardnessand brittleness of PVA nanocomposite film. The nanocomposite filmof PVA/G/NCP was fabricated with various ratios of NCP through thecasting method. It was shown that the physical properties were improvedwith the presence of NCP in the PVA matrix compared to the neat PVAfilm.