Abstract:
The production of plant-based cellulose products had contributed to the increasing rate of deforestation activities. Bacterial cellulose (BC) produced via fermentation process can be considered as an alternative. In this study, BC was produced by fermentation of Acetobacter xylinum 0416 and further analyzed to determine its physiochemical properties. The characterization of the BC was carried out through fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), pH, moisture content, compressibility index and swelling properties. Then, it was compared with plant-based cellulose products which are carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and cellulose powder (CP). FTIR analysis demonstrated the similar properties between BC, CMC and CP while FESEM depicted a smoother surface and nanostructure of the BC. The TGA analysis indicated that BC has the highest thermal stability compared to CMC and CP. The other characterization results showed that BC displayed promising properties compared to CMC and CP. These findings further support the potential of substituting the use of plant-based cellulose products in the market with BC produced by A.xylinum 0416.
