Valorization of Pineapple Crown for Carboxymethylcellulose Production: Optimization of Pulping Processes, Structural
Eulina Fernandes Damião1, Diego Palmiro Ramirez Ascheri1, Itamar Rosa Teixeira1
1Programa de Pós-Graduação Stricto Sensu em Engenharia Agrícola (CPPGEA) da Universidade Estadual de Goiás (UEG), Câmpus Central-Sede: Anápolis-CET Henrique Santillo, BR-153, nº 3.105, Fazenda Barreiro do Meio, Anápolis CEP 75132-903, GO, Brazil.
Abstract:
The increasing demand for sustainable agricultural inputs has driven interest in biodegradable polymers from agro-industrial residues. Pineapple crown biomass (PCB), a widely available lignocellulosic waste, represents a promising feedstock for producing carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). However, the optimal pulping and bleaching conditions for CMC synthesis from this residue remain underexplored. Nevertheless, the combination of CMC derived from PCB with Bacillus subtilis as a seed coating agent for the bean cultivar has not yet been investigated. Here, we produced cellulosic pulps from PCB using a bioreactor, varying NaOH concentration (1-3%), pulping time (1.5-2.5 h), bleaching volume (55-75 mL) and time (60-120 min). The selected pulping condition (2% NaOH, 1.5 h) yielded pulp with high purity (83.9%) and crystallinity (76.35%). After bleaching (65 mL, 90 min), the material was suitable for CMC synthesis under two conditions: CMC1 and CMC2. CMC2 showed a higher degree of substitution (1.010) than CMC1 (0.620) but led to reduced seed germination (77.67%) due to excessive water retention and fungal growth. In contrast, CMC1, with or without B. subtilis, maintained high germination (91%) and significantly increased seedling length (21.30 cm). We conclude that PCB is a viable feedstock for CMC production, and CMC1 exhibits strong potential as an effective seed coating agent for sustainable agriculture.
