Optimization of reaction conditions for grafting of α-cellulose isolated from Lantana camara with acrylamide

Lantana camara, a noxious weed is a serious threat to the ecosystems and demands concerted efforts for its management. Though a number of approaches have been adopted for effective management of L. camara, however each approach has inbuilt limitation and satisfactory approach is yet to be seen. Utilisation of abundantly available cellulosic biomass derived from Lantana could be a practical proposition for the management of the weed. Therefore, chemical analysis of the raw material was done to isolate α-cellulose followed by its characterization. Graft copolymerization of acrylamide onto α-cellulose was studied with ceric ammonium nitrate as a redox initiator in an aqueous medium. The reaction conditions were optimized by varying concentration of ceric ammonium nitrate, nitric acid, acrylamide, time and temperature. The products were characterized by IR, SEM and thermal analysis. Grafting of acrylamide chains onto the α-cellulose enhances its thermal stability. A reaction mechanism is also proposed.