Abstract:
Rice bran waste (RBW) is a bio-residue from rice bran oil extraction process, which is generated in large amount every year. In this work, rice bran waste is used as raw materials in the preparation of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC). The raw material is extracted by alkali extraction and bleaching treatment to produce rice bran cellulose (RBC) by removed hemicellulose and lignin. Subsequently, the crystalline domains are extracted from this cellulose to form CNC by acid hydrolysis. Structures and properties of the resulting CNC are characterized. The results suggest that the uniform-sized CNC is in the form of high-purity single crystal, which exhibits good thermal properties and can be highly dispersed when used in the preparation of nanocomposite materials. CNC is mixed with poly(lactic acid) or PLA to generate biodegradable films with 0.2 and 0.5 wt%. Moreover, poly(vinyl alcohol) or PVA is used as a surfactant to improve the dispersion between CNC and PLA. As the results, CNC/PLA composite films have better mechanical properties, especially with 0.2wt% with PVA surfactant. The tensile strength and Youngs modulus increase about 7% and 12%, respectively, compare to neat PLA. The higher crystallinity of CNC also affects to improve thermal properties and water vapour barrier properties
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