Summary: | In this work, microcrystalline cellulose was prepared from oil palm trunk by water treated fibre process and alkali bleaching. The prepared samples were characterized by using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). FTIR-ATR spectra analysis indicates the presence of the hydroxyl group, alcohol, alkane/alkene and imine group. XRD patterns revealed the amorphous nature of the samples and the crystallinity index for extracted cellulose is 48.7 %. SEM images showed the fibrous structure of the microcrystalline cellulose with a size of 50 μm. This research proved that the synthesized microcrystalline cellulose could be potentially used as reinforcement in bio composite for better performance and ductility. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.
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