Characterization of microcrystalline cellulose isolated through mechanochemical method

442-449Mechanochemical process, which involves simultaneous ultrasound and alkali treatment, has been used to isolate microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) from raw oil palm empty fruit bunch (REFB) fibre. Three steps have been used to prepare the MCC, namely removal of lignin, removal of hemicellulose and finally production of MCC. The crystallinity index in MCC is found to be 81% which is 54% higher than that of REFB and 45% higher than that of cellulose. Besides crystallinity, the crystal size (28.03Å) of MCC is also enhanced noticeably by 53% as compared to the REFB and 28% as compared to cellulose. The degradation temperature, and the residue content reveal the excellent thermal stability of MCC extracted through this mechanochemical technique