Valorization of pineapple leaf waste as potential dielectric composite material using an optimized soda pulping process

Agricultural waste, particularly from pineapple plantations, poses significant environmental and disposal challenges due to its abundance and underutilization. Despite the high cellulose content in pineapple leaves, this valuable resource is often discarded, leading to environmental pollution and the wastage of potential industrial raw materials. Therefore, this study was conducted to optimize cellulose extraction from pineapple leaves using the soda pulping method. The extracted cellulose was analyzed using the Kurschner-Hanack method. A central composite design (CCD) in Design-Expert software was applied to evaluate the simultaneous effects of soda concentration (8 wt%–12 wt%) and pulping time (50–70 min) on cellulose content, analyzed using response surface methodology (RSM). The cellulose content, determined based on the average yield, ranged from 50 to 72.79%. The optimum extraction condition was achieved at 11 wt% soda concentration and 60.26 min of pulping time, yielding 73.26% cellulose content with only a 3.95% deviation from the predicted value. Based on CCD analysis, soda concentration was identified as the most significant factor influencing cellulose extraction for maximum yield. These findings demonstrate that pineapple leaves are a valuable and feasible raw material for industrial applications, including the textile industry, paper production, and potential future applications in dielectric materials.