Abstract
Cellulose was extracted from durian rind using delignification with acidic sodium chlorite then followed by mercerization
with 17.5% (w/v) sodium hydroxide. Gas pycnometer indicated that density of extracted cellulose was 1.59 g/cm3. Fourier
transform infrared (FTIR) confirmed the removal of non-cellulosic components. The micrograph by scanning electron
microscopy (SEM) displayed non-fibrous components scattered over the surface of durian rind were removed. Most of cellulose
presented a diameter and aspect ratio in the range of 100 - 150 μm and 20 - 25, respectively. In the future, cellulose from durian
rind has a potential to be used as a reinforcement elements in composite materials.
© 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Committee of CAFEi2014.
Keywords: Durian rind; cellulose; delignification; mercerization; FTIR; SEM
1. Introduction
Cellulose, the major constituent of all plant materials, forms about half to one-third of all plant tissues and it is
constantly replenished by photosynthesis (Sun et al., 2004; Mandal and Chakrabarty, 2011). It is the main structural
component that confers strength and stability to the plant cell walls (Dufresne, 2006) which is organized into