Development of Cellulose Nanofibres from Coconut Husk

Abstract — Cellulose is the most common abundantly available, high molecular weight linear chain organic polymer found on Earth. It is present in plants as a primary cell wall and it may be amorphous or crystalline depending on its nature and fibre form of it is very beneficial, especially when reduced to nano size. Composites made of Cellulose nano fibres attains adequate strength that fulfills necessary requirements in various fields and hence many applications. In this research work, Cellulose nanofibres were prepared from coconut husk where two pre-treatment methods were adopted before conducting concentrated Sulphuric acid hydrolysis. The pre-treatment processes include Alkali Treatment and Bleaching. The finally obtained nano fibres were characterized using different instruments such as XRD, FTIR and TGA to understand their behavior and properties