In this study corncob was used to obtain the nanocrystalline cellulose. This corncob was milled and sieved to yield 40 mesh and 60 mesh, which has a larger contact surface. Already obtained, the corncob was characterized according to the TAPPI's (Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry) standards for lignocellulosic materials. Once the characterization of the corncob was made, the organosolv method was used to obtain the cellulose of corncob, which has a content of 40 to 45% of cellulose. This method is friendly to the environment since a mixture of ethanol / water and acetic acid is used. After obtaining the cellulose, we proceeded to modify it at nano scale with chemical processes. In order to obtain the nanocrystals, the method consisting of an acid hydrolysis with 64% by weight sulfuric acid was followed. The CNC and nanocellulose obtained were characterized by analytical and spectroscopic techniques. The importance of the characterization was to establish a correlation between the structure, shape and chemical composition of the CNC. The techniques of characterization were: Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The research indicates that the corncob could be an excellent raw material for the manufacture of CNC at low cost and respecting the environment.<br/>

Isolation and characterization of nanocrystalline cellulose from corncob

2019 Spring National Meeting

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