Utilization of sugarcane bagasse for synthesis of carboxymethylcellulose and its biodegradable blend films

Abstract

The objective of this study is to synthesize and extensively characterize carboxymethylcellulose from sugarcane bagasse cellulose (CMC-SC) to evaluate its potential use in blend films. A single step of alkaline hydrogen peroxide pretreatment at a low temperature was used to extract cellulose from sugarcane bagasse. The CMC-SC was extensively characterized with respect to its structure, crystallinity, degree of substitution (DS), average molecular weight (Mw), degree of polymerization (DP), viscosity, thermal property, antioxidant property and morphological structure as compared to a commercial CMC (CMC-COM). CMC-SC displays a DS, averageMw and DP of 0.7, 2×106 and 9,204, respectively. The Rapid Visco Analyzer method revealed a relatively low viscosity (65.7 cP) for 4% (w/v) CMCSC solution at 45 °C. A melting temperature (Tm) close to 250 °C was measured, as was a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 102.4 °C. The DPPH assay indicated that CMC-SC exhibited higher antioxidation activity than CMC-COM. The characterization of the blend films between CMC-SC and polyvinyl alcohol (CMC-SC/PVA) with varying glycerol concentrations showed they had better properties with greater elongation at break than CMC-COM films with or without copolymer blending. © 2023 Science Society of Thailand under Royal Patronage. All rights reserved.