Extraction of Cellulose from Industrial and Plant Waste

Abstract

Agricultural and industrial waste is generated in huge quantities. Generally, they are not reused or recycled. Interest arises in waste sources from the biomass left behind. This waste poses a serious environmental problem as it consists of strong fibers which under degradation process very slowly under natural conditions and therefore get accumulated in the environment over time. Therefore, efficient utilization of such agricultural wastes is of great importance not only for minimizing the environmental impact, but also for obtaining higher profit. Aim of this study is to extract cellulose from different agricultural and industrial waste sources such as rice husk, waste paper and sugar cane via simple technique. Cellulose amounting 16%, 24% and 18.218% was extracted from the above sources respectively. FT-IR was used to characterize the extracted cellulose.