Acid Hydrolysis-Mediated preparation of Nanocrystalline Cellulose from Rice Straw

Rice straw is available in abundance as an agricultural waste and has been used in various applications. It is utilized as a source of cellulose and is attractive in biofuels, biomedical, and other applications. The present study investigates the surface morphology, structural properties, and thermal properties of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) isolated by acid hydrolysis of rice straw. Surface morphology, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), structural properties, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX) of the NCCs were carried out. Morphology of the rice straw changes with each chemical treatment, and TEM images confirmed that the extraction of the NCC was successful, which had a rod-like shape. A constant and dynamic reduction in the thermal stability of the NCC happened as the hydrolysis time increase, which was most likely because to the high sulfation rate. These results demonstrate an efficient route to preparing high-yield NCC.