Characterization and adsorption properties of cellulose from various plant waste

Abstract

The paper discusses the challenges associated with utilizing different plant waste materials to create novel sorbents based on cellulose. The work aims to provide new data on the structure and sorption properties of polysaccharide samples in relation to toxicants such as mycotoxin T-2 and radionuclide uranium-238. The research employed X-ray diffraction, FTIR, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption, and methods of wood chemistry. The paper presents the results of a study on several polysaccharides, such as cellulose, β-glucan, and lichenin. A new approach for obtaining numerical data from X-ray diffraction patterns was proposed and applied to the analysis of cellulose samples from wheat straw, rye, and oats. Taking cereal celluloses as an example, it was suggested that there might be several types of structurally ordered elements at the supramolecular level. The degree of crystallinity of cellulose samples was calculated. The results show that the degree of crystallinity is 0.23 for wheat cellulose, 0.30 for rye cellulose, and 0.14 for oat cellulose. The study examined the sorption properties of lichenin and cellulose for mycotoxin T-2 under conditions simulating the gastrointestinal tract of mammals. It was found that at pH 2 (as in a stomach), wheat straw absorbs 73% of the mycotoxin, and the irreversible adsorption index is 59%. Polysaccharides in aqueous environments have a high sorption for the radionuclide uranium-238. Lichenin and cellulose from Sosnowsky’s hogweed are recommended for purifying aqueous environments with microconcentrations of the radionuclide uranium-238. The irreversible adsorption index of U-238 for the above polysaccharide samples is 86.2 and 93.1%, respectively. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025.