Characterization of cellulose isolated from pinewood waste (Pinus merkusii).

Cellulose is one of the renewable natural resource materials that can be found in Indonesia. Cellulose can be synthesized from various parts of plants, such as pine trees. Pinewood waste is also known for its high amount of cellulose content. Thus, cellulose can be isolated from its pinewood waste. The necessary process in isolation is the removal of lignin and hemicellulose by extraction method using some solvents and heating. The bleaching method is carried out with hydrogen peroxide solution. This resulted in white bright cellulose with a yield of 58.40%. Cellulose result was obtained in the form of microcrystalline and further characterized by some instrumentation similar as x-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Fourier-Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The crystallinity index of cellulose resulted from the isolation process is 55.20%, with morphological surface in the form of multisized agglomerated long fibers with an average particle size 125 µm. FTIR spectra showed some peaks at specific wavenumber indicating a typical function group of cellulose. Therefore, it can be concluded that pinewood waste can be used as a high-value cellulose material, with an easy and environmentally friendly method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]