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Derivation of Nanocellulose from Native Rice Husk

Md. Iqbal Hossain*
Department of Chemical Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka 1000.

Humayra Zaman
Department of Chemical Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka 1000.

Taslima Rahman
Department of Chemical Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka 1000.

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Nanocellulose has been in numerous applications and can be obtained from bioresources. This work demonstrates the derivation of nanocellulose from an alternative option i.e. rice husk. The processed rice husk was refined by chemical and mechanical treatments. Nanocellulose was subsequently derived from the refined rice husk through acid hydrolysis followed by centrifugation, dialysis and ultrasonic treatment. Scanning Electron Microscopy ensured the nanoscale diameter while Fourier Transformed InfraRed Spectroscopy confirmed the removal of noncellulosic materials. It is therefore proposed that the native rice husk can also be utilized for manufacturing nanocellulose reducing its adverse environmental impacts.

Keywords: Nanomaterials; Nanocellulose; Bioresource; Biomass; Rice Husk

Location: Department of Chemical Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka 1000.

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Resource Development and Management

Commodity: Rice husk

Objectives:

An alternative approach to utilize rice husk involves the exploitation of its cellulose content. Rice husk can be a promising feedstock for nanocellulose. The present study is therefore aimed to derive nanocellulose from rice husk.

Methodology:

Experimentation Mechanical and chemical processes are reported in literature5, 13-18. The synthesis scheme consisting of both mechanical and chemical processes used in this study to derive nanocellulose from native rice husk is shown in Figure 1 and described below17,18. Feedstock Processing Rice husk (RH) was washed rigorously with stirring at room temperature by distilled water to remove foreign materials. The washed RH was dried and stored in hermetic plastic container to prevent microbial infection. It was subsequently grinded to obtain fine particles. A soxhlet apparatus was used to remove wax/oil from the RH fine particles. Chemical Treatments After dewaxing the fine particles were stirred with 3.03.5 w/V % KOH aqueous solution at a weight ratio of 1: 12-15 and boiled for 30 minutes, and the mixture was rested overnight. The filtrate was washed twice with distilled water and 10 v/V % HCl was added (100 mL). The formed precipitate of silica was separated from organic residue. The lignocellulosic residue was then treated with 0.7-1.7 w/V % Sodium Chlorite (NaClO₂) at a ratio of 1: 50-80 g solid/mL liquor for bleaching. It was kept boiling for 2 hours and checked constantly for pH to keep at 4. The remaining solid was first treated with 5-10 w/V % Sodium Bisulphite solution at room temperature for 1 hour using a solid to liquor ratio of 1 g/50 mL. It was then washed with distilled water and kept for drying at room temperature until constant weight was reached. It was subsequently treated with 17.5 w/V% Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) solution at room temperature for 8 hours using a solid to liquor ratio of 1 g/50 mL and was washed and dried again as reported in the previous step Formation and Isolation of Nanocellulose The nanocellulose was then formed by the acid hydrolysis of the dried cellulose intermediate. The acid hydrolysis was conducted using 64 wt% sulfuric acid solution for 30 minutes at continuous stirring condition. The entire process was carried out slowly on iced system to ensure that the nanocellulose particles were not burnt out by hot sulfuric acid. Then the solution was heated at 60oC temperature for around 15 minutes to achieve uniform concentration. It was washed with distilled water for diluting the acid concentration until pH was neutral. After acid hydrolysis, the suspension was diluted to stop the reaction and allowed to settle for several hours until the suspensions were layered. The clear top layer was decanted off and then repeatedly washed with distilled water until they were not layered more. The suspension was then transferred into centrifuge tubes and centrifugation was performed repeatedly at 4000 rpm for 10-15 minutes to remove excess acid and water-soluble fragments. The fine particles were taken for further centrifugation to separate the nanocellulose suspension. The suspension was then washed with deionized water. The process was repeated several times to eliminate the acid content. The resulting suspension was placed in the dialysis tubes having a molecular weight cutoff of 12000-14000 and dialyzed against deionized water for several days until the water pH remained constant. The nanocellulose suspension was finally sonicated for 1530 minutes using an ultrasonic processor at 20-25 kHz to isolate the nanocellulose. The ultrasonic treatment was carried out in an ice bath; the ice was maintained throughout the entire ultrasonication to avoid overheating. Preparation of Nanocellulose Film The suspension of nanocellulose after being stored in a refrigerator at 5^oC for 2 days were poured into polystyrene Petri dishes, which were then kept in daylight for slow water evaporation. Solid thin films were obtained after the evaporation of water. All the films were kept in desiccators for characterization. Characterization of Nanocellulose The morphology of the prepared nanocellulose was tested through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). SEM micrographs of the nanocellulose surface were taken using the TESCAN VEGA scanning electron microscope operated at 15 kV. The samples were coated with gold to eliminate the electron charging effects. Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy was also used to test the prepared nanocellulose. Nanocellulose samples were grinded in a ball mill, and the powders were pressed with KBr and analyzed in a Mattson Genesis II spectrometer at a resolution of 2 cm^-1, 16 scans were performed over each sample.

Source of Information: Chemical Engineering Research Bulletin 20(2018) 19-22 ISSN: 2072-9510

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

This study proposes an alternative use of rice husk as the feedstock for nanocellulose. The rice husk was first processed and refined through chemical and mechanical treatments. The former treatment was efficient in removing hemicellulose while the latter fully removed lignin. Nanocellulose was successfully derived from the refined rice husk through acid hydrolysis followed by centrifugation, dialysis and ultrasonic treatment. The diameter of nanocellulose ranged from 60-100 nm. Scanning Electron Microscopy ensured the diameter, while Fourier Transformed InfraRed Spectroscopy analysis confirmed the removal of non-cellulosic materials. Indigenous rice husk can therefore be considered alternatively for the manufacture of nanocellulose. However additional studies are required for determining the yield of nanocellulose and optimizing the derivation scheme.

Knowledge Management: Journal