Nanocrystalline Cellulose (NCC) From Waste Paper: Synthesis and Characterization via Sulfuric Acid Hydrolysis

Abstract Waste paper contains up to 64.84% cellulose, making it a potential raw material for the synthesis of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC). The cellulose extraction was carried out using a delignification method. The waste paper was immersed in a 12% NaOH solution for 2 hours at 100 °C, followed by bleaching with a 30% H 2 O 2 solution for 2 hours at the same temperature to obtain cellulose extract specimens. After the delignification process, the extracted cellulose achieved a purity of up to 92.6%. The synthesis of NCC was performed via sulfuric acid (H 2 SO 4 ) hydrolysis with concentrations of 1M, 3M, 5M, and 7M. Among these, the 1M H 2 SO 4 treatment yielded NCC with the most favorable characteristics, including a cellulose purity of 80.79%, an average particle size distribution of 256.74 nm, a crystallinity index of 88.73%, and a crystal size of 3.18 nm.