Isolation and characterization of cellulose nanofibres from three common Nigerian grasses

Abstract

Nanocellulose may be in nanocrystal or nanofibre form which may be extracted from purified cellulose by different methods. These include methods like dual-opposite-spinneret electrospinning, mechanical methods, a combination of chemical and mechanical methods, cryocrushing and enzymatic approaches. Nitrocelluloses have been extracted from various plants but not much has been reported on the yield from grasses. In this study, cellulose nanofibres (CNFs) were extracted from three common grasses; Pennisetum purpureum, Cynodon dactylon and Axonopus compressus by formic acid hydrolysis with the micrograph of CNF for each grass obtained. The CNFs are web-like long fibrous structure with diameter ranging between 3 to 5 nm and yield of over 75%. The crystallinity index averaged 76% and the onset temperature of thermal decomposition was 199 °C. Thus, Pennisetum purpureum, Cynodon dactylon and Axonopus compressus are good eco-friendly sources of CNF for potential application as new source of nanofillers for reinforcement of nanocomposite films.