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Abstract
The objectives of the study were to establish an artisanal process for the extraction of cellulose from sugar cane straw (Saccharum spp.) harvested green, mechanically, and to characterize its quality. The caustic soda method and the artisanal method were used, and industrial reagents were used in the latter. The extraction of cellulose fiber was similar in both cases. The highest amount of cellulose pulp (10.02 g) was extracted with the caustic soda method and it had a cellulose yield higher than 6.96 % compared to the artisanal method. The cellulose extracted from the cane straw was 74.78 % with the caustic soda method and 64.24 % with the artisanal method, based on the XRD technique. The average size of crystals from the straw cellulose was similar with both extraction methods, and it is of the alpha-cellulose type, which can be used for various materials in the pharmaceutical and dietary industries.