Lignocellulosic biomass as a source of microcrystalline cellulose - chemical and technological characterization and future perspectives

Abstract

In this paper, agricultural waste (corn stover and wheat straw) was used for isolation of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). Lignocellulosic biomass is widely available and applying smart technologies to valorise it will have a double benefit through environmental protection and achieving high-performance materials for targeted applications. The obtained MCC showed excellent features in terms of purity, physical-chemical properties and safety, as well. The methods applied for characterizing the materials were as follows: FT-IR, SEM, ICP-AAE and IC. Then, tablets were made by the compression method, using the isolated and purified MCC, as well as its commercially available counterpart. Excellent technological characteristics were confirmed by testing material compaction, compactibility, compressibility and drug release. This was one of the first tests in which Gamlen Tableting D was applied, especially in the case of using biomass, in the first phase, with prospects of application at a large scale, particularly, in the pharmaceutical industry.