PILOT PLANT USED TO OBTAIN CELLULOSE FROM SUGAR CANE RESIDUES (Saccharum spp.) AND ELABORATE BIODEGRADABLE CONTAINERS

Abstract

This study allowed making evident that it is possible to obtain cellulose at a larger scale (pilot plant) from agro-industrial sugar cane (Saccharum spp.) residues, reaching 50 % of yield from pre-treated fiber, which, through chemical acid hydrolysis and blanching treatment obtained a final yield of 34 % cellulose. The analysis of X-ray diffractograms revealed that the crystallinity of the cellulose obtained was 69 %, with average crystal size of 2.3 nm, while the crystallinity of the cane straw (without treatment) had a lower value (46 %), with average crystal size of 2.6 nm, lower than that of the cellulose obtained with the treatment. The higher crystallinity of the cellulose was attributed to the efficient way of dissolution of amorphous regions (lignin and hemicelluloses), confirmed with the interferograms from Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). These results, in addition to the elaboration of prototypes, showed that sugar cane straw is a source of cellulose with great potential for the elaboration of biodegradable recipients.