Optimization ofwheat-straw-extractedcellulose via response surface methodology and mechanical properties of its poly(lactide)-based biocomposites

In view of environmental footprints and growing demand for green energy materials, employing biomass by eliminating lignin and hemicellulose has been topic of recent interests due to their applications in food packaging, textile, automobile, and polymer industries. Herein, we report on optimization of the cellulose extraction (removal of lignin and hemicellulose) from agro-waste (wheat straw) by the response surface methodology (RSM), where, the Box Behnken Design has been implemented to study the effect of sodium hydroxide/sodium hypochlorite amount, temperature, and time on the extraction process. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction study, and thermal degradation analysis indicate the successful isolation of cellulose with maximum (56%) removal of hemicellulose and lignin under optimal conditions. Furthermore, nano-indenter analysis and tensile strength have been examined for cellulose/poly(lactide) biocomposites at different wt.% of cellulose, which indicated better tensile strength (28.15 MPa), tensile modulus (2430.24 MPa), and elongation at break (1.89%) as compared to intrinsic poly(lactide). Such studies on the cellulose extraction with optimized conditions and their mechanically stable biocomposites will pave the way for their utilization in polymer industrial applications.