Isolation and characterization of lignocellulosic fibres from giant panda waste

Giant Panda waste was used as a source for isolation of lignocellulosic fibres and its subsequent characterization was done. Non-cellulosic components such as lignin, hemicellulose, and pectin were removed from the fibres by subsequently washing, sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) treatment. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis showed that there were no significant variations in peak positions, signifying that the treatments did not affect the chemical structure of the fibres. The difference in peak intensity in treated fibres compared to untreated fibres indicated that hemicellulose and impurities on the fibre surfaces are partly removed by NaOH and NaOCl treatment. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that the natural structure of cellulose I polymorph was maintained irrespective of the treatment. X-ray analyses also showed that the treatments altered the crystallinity of the fibres where the bleached fibres had a higher crystallinity (28.62%) than that of untreated fibes (27.60%). A comparison of the curve of thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for the treated and untreated samples is presented to demonstrate that the presence of treatment contributes to a better thermal stability for lignocellulosic fibres.