Abstract:
Rice husk was used as a raw material for syn thesizing microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) through
mechanical and chemical pre-treatment process. Sodium
hydroxide treatment (10%) followed by varying concen tration of sodium chlorite (0.5%, 0.7%, 1%) treatment has
resulted in substantial weight loss. The synthesized MCC
was characterized through different instrumental analyses.
ATR-IR spectroscopic analysis showed the successful
removal of hemicellulose and lignin. Crystallinity index
and crystal size were measured through powder XRD
technique and was found to be 64.74% and 6.86 nm,
respectively. SEM images indicated the average particle
size, shape and porosity of MCC. Higher concentration of
sodium chlorite treatment has led to minimum particle size,
which is confirmed via DLS technique. The onset of ther mal de 340 c
