Nitrocellulose Synthesis from Miscanthus Cellulose

The possibility of synthesizing nitrocellulose (NC) from an easily renewable non‐woody feedstock, Miscanthus , is demonstrated herein. Nitration of Miscanthus cellulose with commercial mixed acid was found to afford high‐quality NC: 11.85 % nitrogen content, 18 cP viscosity of 2 % NC‐acetone solution, 97 % solubility in alcohol‐ester mixture, and 0.11 % ash content. The Miscanthus NC structure and fibers were characterized by analytical techniques such as SEM, IR spectroscopy, TGA/DTG, and 13 C NMR spectroscopy. The Miscanthus NC is comparable in quality to basic NC types used for the manufacture of films, membranes, lacquers, nail polish, liquid bandage, artificial silk and skin.