Treatment and Physicochemical Characterisation of Red Wood Sawdust

Abstract

Wood-waste can be valorised by separating the various compounds: cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin, using chemical treatment and then use them in various applications. Within the present work physicochemical properties of cellulose extracted from one type of wood-waste, red wood sawdust, from an industry located in Fez, Morocco were evaluated. The sawdust samples were chemically treated with sulfuric and nitric acid followed by an alkaline solution. Physicochemical analysis of the extracted cellulose included infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The experimental results are provided and described.