ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLY METHOD FOR THE EXTRACTION OF CELLULOSE FROM TRIFLOLIUM RESOPINATUM AND ITS CHARACTERIZATION

The leaves of Triflolium resopinatum were collected from the mountains of Malakand division, Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa, Pakistan and was grinded into smaller particles and converted into powder. The ground biomass was treated with different solvents in the Soxhlet apparatus for the removal of soluble extractive like pectin, cutin and wax substances. For bond breaking the alkaline substance was kept in the autoclave. Ethylene diamine tetra-acetate (EDTA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were used for the removal of most polar substances like pectin, cutin, waxes and other extractives. Furthermore, raw cellulose was purified through acetic acid and nitric acid. Double distilled water was used for the neutralization of pH. The analysis of purified cellulose was carried out through different procedures such as X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The extracted cellulose has high degree of purity and crystallinity (72%) and thermal stability indicating that the process for the extraction of cellulose is quite adequate.