Multistages Preparation for Microfibrillated Celluloses Based on Arenga Pinnata “ijuk” fiber

Microfibrillated celluloses (MFC) extraction from “ijuk” fibers with chemically multistages method has been investigated. The fibers were prepared by alkalinization with 10% sodium hydroxide (NaOH), oxidation with 3-6% sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) and hydrolysis with 20% sulphuric acid (H2SO4), respectively. The alkalinization removes the fiber surface components such as lignin and wax so the pore on the surface clearly appeared. Addition of NaClO leads an oxidative fragmentation from remaining lignin and then the lignin dissolve out from the fiber. Furthermore, hydrolysis fibrilates fiber into MFC and annihillates the amorphous parts in MFC by keeping the crystalline parts. Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) confirmed the removal of some cellulosic components such as lignin, wax and hemicelluloses, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) reveals an increasing of crystalline parts in the fiber. The micrograph by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) displayed dimension and surface morphology of MFC. The experimental indicated that multistages preparation with 6% NaClO resulted better fibrillation and crystallinity than 3% NaClO. The microfibrillated celluloses resulted from this multistages preparation, has some potential applications, such as filler and nucleating agent in polymer, which are studied in the next study.