Extraction and characterization of nanocellulose from waste of date palm "Phoenix dactylifera″ as reinforcement of polymer composites.

The cellulose is the most abundant and renewable polymer in nature. It is characterized by its biodegradability that can help to establish a friendly environment. The main objective of this study is intended to characterize the nanocellulose obtained from waste date palm,  including the dried palms (DP) and the fresh palms (FP) by implementing chemical methods (hydrolysis with H2SO4). Physical properties, morphology, the elemental composition and the thermal stability were determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), zeta sizer, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), whereas energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. FTIR, SEM and EDX results, revealed the effective removal of impurities, hemicellulose and lignin. Palm sample residues contained 35.99% of cellulose and 33.12% of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) for DP, and 36.17% of cellulose and 34.35% of CNC for FP. The CNCs have higher crystallinity than the raw fibers and Zeta sizer was between 25 and 1150 nm. TGA analysis showedthat DP exhibited greater thermal resistance.