Extraction of Cellulose from Calotropis procera Plant and Characterization Using FOURIER TRANSFORM INFRA-RED (FT-IR)
الكلمات المفتاحية:
Calotropis procera, Cellulose extraction, Alkali treatment, FOURIER TRANSFORM INFRA-RED (FT-IR) characterization, Natural fibersالملخص
The increasing demand for sustainable and environmentally friendly materials has
intensified interest in biopolymers derived from renewable resources. In this study, cellulose
was successfully extracted from the stems of Calotropis procera, an abundant and
underutilized Lignocellulosic plant, using chemical treatment methods. The extraction
process involved dewaxing with a toluene–ethanol mixture, followed by alkaline
delignification using hydrogen peroxide and subsequent purification with acetic acid and
nitric acid. The extracted cellulose yield was determined to be approximately 42% of the
total stem weight. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) was employed to
characterize both untreated Calotropis procera stems and the extracted cellulose. The (FT-
IR) spectra of the raw stems showed characteristic absorption bands corresponding to
cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin at (3415.31 cm-1, 1716.34cm-1 and 1536.99cm-1)
respectively. In contrast, the extracted cellulose exhibited typical cellulose functional
groups, including O–H stretching at (3419.17cm-1), C–H stretching at (2921.63 cm-1), C–
O–C vibrations (1031.73 cm-1), and β-glycosidic linkages at (896.737cm-1), with the
absence of peaks associated with lignin and hemicellulose. These results confirm the
effective removal of non-cellulosic components and the efficiency of the applied extraction
method. The findings suggest that Calotropis procera stems represent a promising and
sustainable alternative source of cellulose for potential industrial and biomedical
application. This study recommended that, comparative studies between cellulose extracted
from Calotropis procera and conventional sources, conversion of cellulose into cellulose
derivatives such as cellulose acetate or carboxymethyl cellulose and evaluation the feasibility of large-scale production, considering the plant’s abundance and low
agricultural requirements in arid and semi-arid regions.
