Sains Malaysiana 45(5)(2017): 377-386

http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2018-4702-20

Factors Affecting Cellulose Dissolution of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch and Kenaf  Pulp in NaOH/Urea Solvent

(Faktor Mempengaruhi Pelarutan Selulosa daripada Pulpa Tandan Kosong Kelapa Sawit dan Kenaf dalam Pelarut NaOH/Urea)

Khairunnisa Waznah Baharin¹, Sarani Zakaria¹*, Amanda V. Ellis², Noraini Talip³, Hatika Kaco¹, Sinyee Gan¹, Farrah Diyana Zailan⁴ & Sharifah Nurul Ain Syed Hashim¹

¹Bioresources & Biorefinery Laboratory, Faculty of Science & Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

²School of Chemical Engineering, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

³Microtechnique and Plant Anatomy Research Team, Faculty of Science & Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

⁴School of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science & Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Received: 5 December 2016/Accepted: 31 July 2017

ABSTRACT

The factors responsible for the low solubility percentage of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) cellulose pulp compared to kenaf when dissolved in aqueous NaOH/urea solvent system was reported. Physical and chemical properties of both cellulose pulp were studied and compared in terms of the lignin content, viscosity average molecular weight (Mη), crystallinity index (CrI), cellulose pulp structure and their zero span tensile strength. The structure of both OPEFB and kenaf cellulose pulp were characterized using high powered microscope and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) assisted by ImageJ® software. The results show that the most significant factor that affected the OPEFB and kenaf cellulose dissolution in NaOH/-urea solvent was the Mη with OPEFB having a higher Mη of 1.68×10⁵ compared to 5.53 × 10⁴ for kenaf. Overall, kenaf cellulose appeared to be produced in higher quantities presumably due to its lower molecular weight with superior tensile strength and permeability in comparison to OPEFB.

Keywords: Cell wall thickness; lumen size; solubility percentage; XRD  

ABSTRAK

Faktor menyebabkan peratus pelarutan selulosa tandan kosong kelapa sawit (TKKS) yang rendah berbanding selulosa kenaf apabila dilarutkan di dalam sistem pelarut akueus NaOH/urea dilaporkan. Sifat fizikal dan kimia selulosa dari pulpa TKKS dan kenaf  dikaji dan dibandingkan dari segi kandungan lignin, purata berat molekul (Mη), indeks penghabluran (CrI), struktur pulpa selulosa dan kekuatan tegangan zero-span. Struktur kedua-dua pulpa selulosa dilihat dan dikaji dengan menggunakan mikroskop berkuasa tinggi dan (FESEM) dibantu dengan perisian ImageJ®. Daripada pencirian yang telah dijalankan, faktor yang memberikan kesan paling signifikan kepada pelarutan selulosa adalah berat molekul pulpa memandangkan berat molekul pulpa OPEFB yang diperolehi adalah lebih tinggi daripada kenaf  dengan 1.68 × 10⁵ dan 5.53 × 10⁴ masing-masing. Secara keseluruhannya, dianggarkan kandungan selulosa daripada kenaf adalah lebih tinggi disebabkan berat molekul yang rendah tetapi mempunyai kekuatan tegangan dan kebolehtelapan yang lebih baik daripada TKKS. 

Kata kunci: Ketebalan dinding sel; peratus keterlarutan; saiz lumen; XRD  

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*Corresponding author; email: szakaria@ukm.edu.my