European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CELLULOSE NANO, MICRO AND HYBRID FIBER FILMS FABRICATED FROM SUGARCANE BAGASSE AND ITS APPLICATIONS

Sophiya Ann, Prajna K. B., Priya K. and Jaya T. Varkey*

ABSTRACT

Sugarcane Bagasse (SCB) is a biomass of agricultural waste produced during the processing of sugarcane.
Cellulose nano and microfibers were prepared from bagasse by alkaline and acid hydrolysis followed by
ultrasonication. Both the nanofiber suspensions obtained were mixed to fabricate the hybrid fibers. All the fibers
obtained were homogenized and vacuum filtrated to obtain fiber films. The prepared fibers were characterized by
FESEM, XRD, and FT IR. The hydro stability of the fiber films was determined by contact angle measurement
and the mechanical strength of the films was obtained by measuring the tensile strength. Cellulose nanofiber film
exhibited improved properties than the other two fibers. All the fibers were useful in fabricating biodegradable and
hydro-stable drinking straws and food packaging containers.

Keywords: Cellulose, nanofiber, microfiber, hybrid fiber, sugar cane bagasse.