ABSTRACT
Agricultural residues of Rose flowers (Rosa x hybrida L.) are abundant, cheap, and renewable. These lignocellulosic remains are composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. They are an attractive feedstock to produce various value-added products, as microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). The objective of this study was to obtain MCC from residual Rose stems (RS) using a successive alkaline peroxide treatment. X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to determine the degree of crystallinity, structure characteristics, thermal properties, and morphology, respectively, of MCC. The properties of RS-MCC were compared with those of commercial MCC. The degree of crystallinity of RS-MCC was 70.21%. The X-ray diffraction patterns reveal the presence of Type I cellulose. FTIR showed the absence of non-cellulosic components, mainly lignin, present in the amorphous regions of the RS fibers. Results are promising for taking advantage of agricultural residues as a source of MCC, which could be used as a reinforcing agent in polymeric matrices.
