Property Analysis of Cellulose Fibers Extracted from Traditional Rice Straw Varieties

Agriculture sector plays a vital role in Sri Lankan economy. Although the country is moving towards industrialization, agricultural sector still contributes substantially to both foreign exchange earnings and GDP. Straw generated from paddy cultivation is widely considered as agricultural waste as it has less commercial value. However, cellulose is the main component in paddy straw, which is a renewable resource, gains increasing importance due to its low cost and wide availability. The aim of this study was to extract cellulose fibers from Sri Lankan traditional rice straw varieties Murunkan, Pachchaperumal and Moddaikarupan via a series of chemical treatments and to ascertain their structure, morphology and thermal properties. Study revealed that higher amount of cellulose fibers were extracted from Moddaikarupan variety (38.31 ± 0.86 percent), then from Murunkan variety (33.68 ± 0.68 percent) and lastly from Pachchaperumal variety (33.63 ± 0.10 percent). Fourier transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis showed the successive and complete removal of noncellulosic components from the rice straw. Morphology of rice straw during the extraction process were distinct when the non-cellulosic components were removed from rice straw. This study affirms that locally available rice straw varieties can be exploited as cellulose source.