Production of natural source nanocrystalline cellulose and performance comparison with industrial cellulose

In this study, date kernel waste was used to produce nanocrystalline cellulose and the resulting material’s properties were systematically compared with those of commercially available industrial cellulose. The extraction of cellulose from date kernels was performed using a Soxhlet apparatus with an ethanol-hexane mixture under continuous reflux for 8 h to remove oils and soluble impurities. Subsequently, an alkaline treatment with 4% NaClO at 80°C for 3 h was applied to eliminate lignin and hemicellulose. The resulting material was washed, neutralized, and dried. Acid hydrolysis was then conducted, followed by centrifugation and neutralization, and the NCC suspension was freeze-dried to obtain a powder. For comparative purposes, a single industrial cellulose CNC was used as a reference. This commercial CNC is characterized by a white color, a density of 1.49 g/cm 3 , a dispersed powder particle size below 150 nm at 2% (w/w), and a high crystallinity index of 92% (XRD). Additionally, among various industrial celluloses with different price and quality segments available in the market, this product was selected as the most cost-effective option, with a price of 2 euros/kg. This selection process enhanced the rigor of the comparative analysis by ensuring that the reference material represented both high quality and economic feasibility. The morphological, chemical, and thermal properties of both NCC and industrial CNC were characterized using various analytical techniques. SEM showed that the nanostructure of the NCC made from date kernel waste had an average width of 10–20 nm and a length of 300–900 nm. EDX demonstrated homogeneous elemental distribution. XRD analysis showed that NCC has a high level of crystallinity, while DTA and DSC showed that NCC’s thermal stability is similar to that of commercial CNC. FTIR confirmed the preservation of the pure cellulose structure, and TGA gave us information about the degradation stages and initial degradation temperatures of both materials. The results show that using Soxhlet extraction and other chemical methods works well to turn date kernel waste into valuable nanocellulose products. The NCC obtained shows significant potential as a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to industrial cellulose for applications in biomedical fields, composite materials, and eco-friendly packaging.