eco-friendly nanocellulose from coconut fiber: optimizing cellulase enzymes for sustainable production

The increasing demand for sustainable materials has spurred interest in nanocellulose derived from natural sources. this study focuses on synthesizing nanocellulose from coconut fiber through enzymatic hydrolysis using cellulase enzymes. to optimize the production process, a cellulase concentration of 1500 u/ml was utilized, with varying enzyme volumes (100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 µl). the pretreatment steps included delignification with 10% naoh and bleaching with 40% h2o2, facilitating cellulose extraction. comprehensive analysis revealed that the coconut fiber contained 42.95% alpha-cellulose, 72.51% holocellulose, 29.56% hemicellulose, and 22.77% lignin. optimal nanocellulose size (nssk) of 10.21 µm was achieved with the addition of 400 µl cellulase enzyme, indicating an efficient enzymatic breakdown of the fiber. scanning electron microscopy (sem) characterized a non-uniform morphology with fine fibers and surface irregularities. fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ftir) results showed significant chemical changes, including a reduction in peak intensity at 1728 cm cm-¹, a shift in the peak from 1600 cm-¹ to 1598 cm-¹, and an enhanced peak within the range of 1028-1050 cm-¹. these alterations suggest effective modification of lignin and hemicellulose, confirming the successful production of eco-friendly nanocellulose from coconut fiber. the findings underscore the potential of utilizing coconut fiber as a renewable resource for nanocellulose production, paving the way for sustainable applications in various industries.