ABSTRACT
CMs were isolated by Bhattacharya et al. [61] from bagasse in three distinct stages. Initially, bagasse was subjected to established pulping process to eliminate lignin and hemicellulose. The obtained cellulosic fibres were mechanically separated into their constituent microfibrils (MFs) by a two-stage homogenisation process and were, finally, acid hydrol ysed. The dimensions of the resulting microfibres, as commented by the authors, were dependent on the hydrolysis conditions. Persistent discoloration indicated that cellulose obtained from bagasse, a sugarcane by-product, was far more resistant to hydrolysis than tunicate, bacterial or even wood celluloses. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of the cellulose fibres confirmed that lignin had been completely eliminated during the pulping process. The I3C NMR spectra of the MFs also clearly indicated that hydrolysis and mechanical shearing resulted in significant removal of the amorphous re gions that were initially present in the unhydrolysed cellulose fibres. This was a significant research reporting of getting purely crystalline cellulose in the form of microfibres.
