COMPARATIVE STUDIES ON PHYSICOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS, MINERAL CONSTITUENTS AND MORPHOLOGIES OF CELLULOSE FROM CARICA PAPAYA AND GLIRICIDIASEPIUM STEMS

Plant stems of Carica papaya and Gliricidiasepium collected within the Ado-Ekiti metropolis, Nigeria, have been pulped using 17.5% NaOH under heating to obtain cellulose. The resultant products were bleached, washed and oven-dried to obtain Carica papaya cellulose (CPC) and Gliricidiasepium cellulose (GSC). The functional properties of CPC and GSC were analysed, and the results were compared. The samples were subjected to instrumental analysis using Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) for functional group determination and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for morphologicalassessment.CPC and GSC were also analysed using standard analytical procedures for the possible presence of heavy metals. The results showed that the values of some functional properties such as ash content, tapped density, and bulk density for CPC were higher than those of GSC. The SEM showed that CPC appeared as a cluster of tiny, round, and smooth entities while a thread-like pattern was observed for the GSC surface. Elements such as Zr, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb were detected in CPC, while the same elements except Pb were detected in GSC.