Extraction and characterization of cellulose microfibers from cornhusk for application as reinforcing agent in biocomposite.

This study aims to extract and characterize cellulose microfibers from cornhusk, an agricultural by-product. The extracted fibers will then be used as a reinforcing agent in a biocomposite made of thermoplastic corn starch. The process of extracting cellulose microfibers involved two treatments: sequential alkali treatment (using sodium hydroxide at 120 °C for 120 min) and peroxide bleach treatment (using hydrogen peroxide at 90 °C for 60 min). Various techniques such as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were employed to characterize the extracted fibers. The properties of the composite were examined through tensile strength tests, contact angle measurements, and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The study found that cellulose microfibers were successfully extracted from cornhusks, with a diameter of 7 to 30 µm and a crystallinity of 65 %. The treated fibers showed gradual degradation between 150 °C and 350 °C, indicating a lower amount of non-cellulosic substances compared to untreated cornhusks. Adding 10 % of the microfibers to the thermoplastic starch composite increased the tensile stress at breaking and the Young's modulus, but decreased the contact angle of water droplets and the film's transparency.

Assessment of milkweed floss as a natural hollow oleophilic fibrous sorbent for oil spill cleanup.

Natural oil sorbent materials with a high oil sorption capacity have recently received remarkable attention for oil spill cleanup from seawater. This study reports on the development of a superhydrophobic hollow cellulosic fiber that could serve as an oil spill cleanup material. As oil sorption is based on the physical and chemical characteristics of the sorbent, FTIR, SEM, XRD, and surface contact angle of the fibers were determined. A series of tests were then carried out to analyze the sorption capacity, dynamic oil retention, and reusability. Subsequently, the effect of the fibers' weight on the amount of oil absorption and absorption time was investigated. The wettability analyses showed that the milkweed floss fiber possessed a superhydrophobic characteristic (with the water contact angle of 140°). The empty channel of the fiber was more than 90% of its total volume. The hydrophobicity and capillary properties helped the fibers to absorb up to 100 g/g of oil, which was higher than that obtained by many natural cellulosic fibers.