The SEM micrographs of the isolated cellulose are shown in Fig. 2
at different magnifications and fragments of various lengths were
characterized (Fig. 2A—Cel-04 and B—Cel-02). At higher magnifications (Fig. 2C—Cel-04 and D—Cel-02), completely round and fibrils
of various thickness were revealed. However, thickness of the fibrils was reduced in Cel-04 as compared to Cel-02. This observation
is in agreement that fiber diameter reduces as the concentration of
alkali solution is increased from 25% to 30% (Aydin et al., 2011). This
is because during this treatment the intermolecular bond of cellulose are broken and polyhydroxyl group of polysaccharide result
into swelling of the fiber which decreases fiber length. SEM anal-
ysis of the samples showed that the packed structure of the fibrils
was distorted by the removal of non-cellulosic materials. The fibrils
were separated from each other and the surface roughness of the
alkali treated fibers was improved (Aydin et al., 2011).