Extraction of Citrullus lanatus cellulose and its water absorbent property

In order to get a natural cellulose of high water absorbent ability,the extraction conditions of cellulose from Citrullus lanatus by chemical separation technique were studied. The effects of NaOH mass fraction,H 2 O 2 mass fraction,reaction temperature and time on the extraction of Citrullus lanatus cellulose were investigated using single factor experiment. The optimum process conditions were determined by orthogonal test as follows: NaOH mass fraction 4%,H 2 O 2 mass fraction 10%,and reacting at 60 ℃ for 30 min. The optimal mass fraction( 86. 52%) of the Citrullus lanatus cellulose was obtained under these conditions. The SEM image showed that Citrullus lanatus cellulose had special hollow structure; and infrared spectrum analysis confirmed that Citrullus lanatus extract was cellulose. Absorption liquid rate test showed that,when water temperature was 40 ℃ and Na+concentration was 0. 1 mol / L,the water absorption rate of Citrullus lanatus cellulose could reach 85 g / g,obviously higher than natural cotton cellulose( 40 g / g).