Isolation of nanocellulose from hemp (Cannabis sativa) fibers by chemo‐mechanical method and its characterization

Abstract Nanocellulose of hemp fibers was obtained by employing the chemo‐mechanical technique, which included three stages of chemical treatments followed by mechanical grinding. Morphological analysis of untreated, treated, and nanocellulose of hemp fibers was performed by field emission scanning electron microscopy. Further, the crystalline behavior of these fibers was also measured by X‐ray diffraction and observed a higher crystallinity (80.95%) for the nanocellulose. Furthermore, change in chemical structure of fibers after chemical treatments and mechanical grinding was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and elimination of hemicelluloses and lignin was confirmed. Higher thermal stability of nanocellulose was confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry analysis. The antibacterial analysis was also performed using Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) and bacillus bacteria. An excellent antibacterial property was offered by the isolated nanocellulose, which makes it a suitable reinforcement to be used in polymeric films and composites for the packaging applications.