High yield production of nanocrystalline cellulose from corn cob through a chemical-mechanical treatment under mild conditions.

Agricultural biomass waste such as corn cob is available in large quantities and can be used as renewable materials for various applications. Corn cob was converted into nanocrystalline cellulose by using mild sulfuric acid concentrations (30 % w/v) at low temperature (50 °C) and a relatively shorter time extraction (30 min) combined with mechanical treatment using a conventional high-speed blender. NCC from cellulose and α-cellulose from corn cobs have been successfully isolated with relatively high yields and crystallinities of 50.