Preparation of bleached cellulose from sugar cane bagasse for chemical processing

With a constantly increasing use of purest cellulose for several industrial applications, it will be necessary to rely on other raw materials rather t han wood and cotton linters to maintain the balance between supply and dema nd. Cellulose is cheaply available as agroindustrial residues by using well -established technologies. In this work, sugar cane bagasse was fractionate d into the cellulose/lignin matrix and hemicellulose by a steam explosion t reatment. After delignification, the cellulose fraction was submitted to a short bleaching sequence PEH (hydrogen peroxide, alkaline extraction, sodiu m hypochlorite). The resulting product appears to be chemically reactive en ough to make an ideal starting material for all cellulose derivatives and m odifications, particularly if demands on purity are made. Thus, it can be c onsidered as a potential alternative to the wood and linters demands in che mical industries.