Cellulose acetate production using cacao pod husks from local sources for potential industrial applications

Abstract Cacao ( Theobroma cacao ) is one of the most important high-value crops worldwide. Cacao fruit is mainly composed the cacao beans, pulp, and husks. The cacao pod husk (CPH) accounts for almost 60-80% of the weight of the whole fruit. However, oftentimes, these CPH are discarded as waste. Amongst the potential use of CPH is the isolation of its cellulose. The lack of available studies exploring the cellulose content of CPH of different varieties of cacao in the Philippines, and the comparison of heating methods for its extraction, highlights a significant research gap. This knowledge will provide a more comprehensive understanding of its composition for potential applications. In this study, different sources and varieties of cacao pod husks were used to produce cellulose through alkali treatment and bleaching with conventional heating and microwave synthesis methods. The result showed that the microwave synthesis approach produces a comparable yield to the conventional method but at a lower treatment time. The cellulose produced was successfully converted into cellulose acetate as confirmed via FTIR analysis. The cellulose acetate was dissolved in different solvents as preparation for its use as one of the components for the development of bioplastic. Characterization of the film produced showed the potential of the cellulose acetate from cacao pod husk for bioplastic application.