X-ray diffraction pattern profiling and sustainable production of crystalline nano-cellulose acetate from waste cotton linter: Crystallite size analysis insights

The sustainable production of nano-cellulose acetate (CA) derived from waste cotton linter via a unique, simple route using a catalyst is the primary objective of this study. The cellulose was recovered from waste cotton linters through a sequence of chemical and mechanical treatments, including scouring, alkaline treatment, bleaching, washing, and drying conditions. The purified cellulose was then acetylated using varying amounts of acetic anhydride (AA) with time in the presence of acetic acid and sulfuric acid as a catalyst to evaluate the influence of reagent like sample 1 (32 mL AA+ Reaction Time (RT) 30 min), sample 2 (64 mL AA+RT 30 min), sample 3 (64 mL AA+ RT 60 min), sample 4 (96 mL AA+ RT 30 min). The characterization of the resulting nano CA was performed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), which confirmed the presence of the ester group characteristic of successful acetylation. Surface features and structural morphology were analyzed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), revealing non-uniform particle distributions. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis yields good results, with a crystallite size ranging from 3.0 to 6.0 nm. From the XRD data analyzed using the Scherrer equation, the crystallite sizes of nano CA for the four (4.0) samples were 6.09 nm, 3.93 nm, 3.81 nm, and 6.10 nm, respectively. This study reveals that discarded cotton linter can serve as a viable raw material for CA production, offering an eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative for polymer synthesis in chemical engineering.