An-Najah Staff

In the present work a method for extracting cellulose from olive industry solid waste (OISW) has been developed. The method involves subjecting solid waste (about 0.5 Kg) to extraction with organic solvent ethylacetate, then to kraft pulping, followed by multistep bleaching processes. After bleaching an average cellulose yield of about 35% has been obtained. The extracted cellulose was extensively characterized using FTIR, SEM, HPLC, DSC, and viscometry. Our key finding in this study is that the extracted cellulose was found to have physio-chemical properties that are similar to those of conventional MCC. This is important, as our results show how lignocellulosic agricultural wastes can be utilized to produce high value cellulose powder. Extracted cellulose powder was then converted via two methods of homogeneous and heterogeneous conditions into commercially important product cellulose acetate (CA). Prepared cellulose acetates by the two above methods were extensively characterized using FTIR, SEM, HPLC, DSC, and SEC. The degree of substitution of CA prepared by the homogeneous method was about 3.0; however CA prepared by heterogeneous method showed degree of substitution of about 1.77. Analysis of CA by size exclusion chromatography showed that, CA prepared by homogeneous method is monodisperse with Mw and Mn of about 50,520 g/mol and 46,730 g/mol, respectively. However CA prepared by the heterogeneous method is polydisperse that contain two fractions with low and high Mw. These findings show that olive industry solid waste is a valuable source for cellulose powder that could be used as a precursor of commercial valuable products with unlimited number of industrial applications such as cellulose triacetate and cellulose diacetate