Obtaining cellulose from agricultural waste of three varieties of banana (Musa acuminata red dacca, Musa acuminata , and Musa paradisiaca) for agroindustrial purposes.

Abstract

Plantain is grown mainly in hot climates, and the production of this raw material generates an increasing amount of plant residues. This research objective was to evaluate cellulose production from the residues (stem, leaves, and rachis) of three plantain varieties for agroindustrial purposes. An ABC factorial design was applied, where Factor A represents the varieties, Factor B represents the vegetative parts, and Factor C represents the bleaching methods. At the initial papermaking stage, cellulose moisture varied between 4.89 % and 9.86 %, and ash content ranged between 9.81 % and 18.86 %. The physicochemical analyses revealed that the Musa Acuminata Red Dacca rachis, using the reprocessing method, presented the best moisture content (7.77 %) and a low ash content (2.16 %). In addition, the rachis of Musa Paradisiaca using the bleaching method reached 69.96 %. On the other hand, Musa Acuminata Red Dacca leaves treated by bleaching showed a caliber of 1.67 mm. These results highlight the importance of properly selecting the variety and bleaching method to optimize cellulose production.