Student/presenter: Shaida S. Rumi, Ph.D. student, Fibers & Biopolymers
Format: Oral presentation
Title: Microwave plasma pre-treatment: a promising approach to improve cotton cellulose dissolution
Shaida S. Rumi, Sumedha Liyanage, Julia L. Shamshina, Noureddine Abidi
Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute, Department of Plant & Soil Science, Texas Tech University
Cellulose, the most abundant renewable natural polymer on earth with fascinating physicochemical and mechanical properties, is a suitable raw material for preparing sustainable and economically viable cellulosic products. However, the utilization of cellulose to its full potential is constrained by its recalcitrance to dissolution that results from the rigidity of polymeric chains, high crystallinity, high molecular weight, and extensive intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonding networks. Therefore, we explored a new strategy to promote cellulose dissolution in this study. We investigated the use of microwave oxygen plasma as a pre-treatment step of cotton fiber before its dissolution in NaOH/Urea solvent system. FTIR, SEM, XRD analyses revealed structural and morphological changes in the cellulose surface due to plasma irradiation. According to the GPC result, the molecular weight of cellulose decreased by 36% and 60%, which led to a 34% and 68% increase in the dissolution of 1% (w:v) cellulose in NaOH/Urea, for 20 min and 40 min plasma pre-treatment, respectively. This study showed that microwave oxygen plasma pre-treatment is a promising approach to significantly enhance cellulose dissolution.