DOI: https://doi.org/10.61435/jbes.2026.19994

Synthesis and Characterization of Cellulose Acetate Derived from Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC) for Membrane Applications

1Department of Chemical Engineering, Institut Teknologi Indonesia, Indonesia

2Departement of Mechanical Engineering, Institut Teknologi Indonesia, Indonesia

Received: 15 Dec 2025; Revised: 21 Jan 2026; Accepted: 21 Jan 2026; Available online: 4 Feb 2026; Published: 1 Aug 2026.
Editor(s): H. Hadiyanto
Open Access Copyright (c) 2026 The Author(s). Published by Centre of Biomass and Renewable Energy (CBIORE)
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Abstract
The clean water crisis in Indonesia is worsening due to limited distribution, pollution of water sources, and rapid population growth and industrial activity. Membrane technology is an effective solution, but Indonesia still relies on imported synthetic polymer-based membranes that are less sustainable and prone to fouling. Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) from lignocellulosic biomass, such as oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB), offers a more environmentally friendly alternative due to its hydrophilic properties, biodegradability, and abundant availability. However, the limited solubility of MCC in organic solvents requires a derivatization process to cellulose acetate (CA) before use as a membrane material. This study aims to produce CA from MCC through an acetylation process and evaluate the degree of acetylation (DA), degree of substitution (DS), and changes in the chemical structure of the modified product. Acetylation was carried out using glacial acetic acid, acetic anhydride, and sulfuric acid catalysts with varying reaction times of 2–4 hours. The titration results showed DA values of 38.70–39.41% and DS of 2.43–2.50, with an optimum reaction time of 3 hours. These values are within the ideal range for membrane applications, indicating good process efficiency. FTIR analysis showed the disappearance of lignocellulose groups and the appearance of a carbonyl (C=O) peak at ~1740 cm⁻¹ as well as an increase in the intensity of the acetate C–O group, confirming the success of acetylation. These results indicate that MCC from OPEFB has great potential as a sustainable and easily processed CA membrane base material for water purification applications.
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Keywords: Microcrystalline Cellulose; Cellulose Acetate; Acetylation; Advance Materials

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Section: Research Articles
Language : EN
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