CHARACTERIZATION OF BIOPOLYMER NANOCELLULOSE FIBER FROM CORN COB WASTE (ZEA MAYS L) USING CHEMICAL-MECHANICAL TREATMENTS

This study aims to determine the highest cellulose purity based on variations in NaOH concentration and to characterize nanocellulose fiber from corn cob waste. Nanocellulose fiber was obtained using chemical-mechanical treatments. Chemical treatment consists of pretreatment, de-lignification, and bleaching stages. While mechanical treatment consists of stirrer and ultrasonication methods, The results showed that the highest cellulose purity was 75.32% using 60% NaOH. In addition, FTIR test results showed that lignin and hemicellulose compounds were successfully removed during chemical treatment, and functional groups from the typical structure of cellulose, which are OH, C-H, and C-O-C groups, with their respective wavenumbers, did not show significant changes during mechanical treatment. Nanocellulose fibers have been successfully formed. It was evident from the morphology of the fibers, which had an average diameter of 120.57±14.05 nm. Additionally, the nanocellulose fiber has excellent colloidal stability with a potential zeta value of-72.5 mV. Based on these results, biopolymer nanocellulose fiber has been successfully obtained from corn cob waste through chemical-mechanical treatments.