Achira as a source of biodegradable materials: Isolation and characterization of nanofibers

In this study, variations in the delignification and bleaching stages, acid hydrolysis and high-pressure homogenization, led to the development of 12 different treatments applied for obtaining nanofibers using fibrous residues arising from the starch extraction process from the achira rhizomes. The treatments were evaluated based on some properties and characteristics of nanofibers such as: morphology and size (by means of transmission electron microscopy), surface charge (by means of zeta potential measurements), crystallinity index (by means of X-ray diffraction analysis) and functional groups (by means of infrared spectroscopy). In general, the nanofibers showed particle diameters between 13.8 and 37.2 nm, length between 832.8 and 2223.8 nm and high crystallinity index (57.5% and 69.8%) compared with achira fibrous residue (17.3%). The results evidenced that fibrous residue from achira rhizomes can be used as a source of biodegradable materials of commercial interest. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.