Cellulose Nanofibers from Cassava Bagasse: Characterization and Application on Tapioca-Film

Abstract

Cassava bagasse, a solid by-product of cassava starch industry, is a source of natural fibers can be used as  a reinforcement filler to overcome poor mechanical property of films. This research aims to study the character of cellulose nanofibers which produced from cassava bagasse and to study the influence of its application on the mechanical properties of tapioca-based film. Cellulose nanofibres from cassava bagasse were obtained through a series of chemical treatments (alkali treatment, bleaching, and acid hydrolysis) and mechanical treatment (high velocity mixer). Cellulose nanofibres with diameters in the range of 5-8 nm and estimated lengths of several micrometers were obtained from cassava bagasse. Zeta potential measurement indicated that cellulose nanofibers suspension has good stability. FT-IR spectroscopic of cellulose nanofibers demonstrated that the chemical treatment led to partial removal of hemicelluloses and lignin from the structure of fibers. XRD results are revealed that chemical treatment also improved crystallinity of fibers from 14.52% in cassava bagasse to 39,37% in cellulose nanofibres. It was observed that the addition of cellulose nanofibers improved tensile strength of films and decreased its elongation at break.

Keywords: Cassava bagasse, Cellulose nanofibers, Tapioca film, Filler