Associate Professor, Laboratory of Biopolymer and Derivatives, Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products (INTROP), Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia

Biography: Dr Hidayah Ariffin obtained her PhD degree in Environmental Engineering from Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan in 2009. She is currently the Head of Laboratory of Biopolymer and Derivatives, INTROP and an Associate Professor at the Department of Bioprocess Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia. Her research interests include biopolymer, nanocellulosic materials and composites, and biomass valorization. To date she has published more than 50 journal articles, 2 chapters in book and 50 conference papers. She has been reviewers for several journals including International Journal of Biological Macromolecules (Elsevier), Journal of Cleaner Production (Elsevier), Composites Part A (Elsevier), RSC Advances (RSC Publications), Journal of Applied Polymer Science (Wiley), and Electronic Journal of Biotechnology (Elsevier).

Speech Title: Depolymerization of Cellulose with Superheated Steam Improving the Properties of Cellulose Nanofiber

Aims: The aim of this research was to determine the potential of superheated steam (SHS) pretreatment on depolymerization of cellulose and its effect on the properties of cellulose nanofiber (CNF).

Methods: Cellulose from oil palm biomass was treated with SHS at temperature range of 130 – 170 °C for 1 – 3 hour. The resulted cellulose samples were analysed for viscosity to determine the degree of polymerization (DP). These celluloses were later processed in wet disk mill to produce CNF. Effect of DP on reduction of cycle number, CNF diameter size, yield of fibrillation and transmittance (%) at 600 nm were determined.

Results: Cellulose treated with SHS underwent depolymerization that reduced its DP significantly. Increased in temperature and treatment time further reduced the DP of cellulose samples. It was found that lower DP produced CNF with diameter less than 10 nm, and the yield of fibrillation was increased. Transmittance (%) improved with reduction in DP as a result of reduced diameter.

Conclusions: Superheated steam is an effective treatment method for depolymerization of cellulose, which leads to the formation of CNF with better morphological and physical characteristics, which will eventually improving the properties of the CNF-based products.