The Effect of Mechanical Processing on the Structure of Cellulose From Hemp

In the course of the research work, the influence of mechanical processing on the structural specificity of cellulose obtained by organo–solvent oxidation from cannabis, an annualraw material common in the East region, is considered. The features of the chemical structure and crystal structure of the modified cellulose were studied by the methods of IR-Fourier spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometry and surface morphology by the optical microscopy method. One solution to the widespread use of mechanical processing is to consider a new habit. The method of mechanical processing using a natural polymer modification is environmentally and cost-effective. Cellulose obtained by organo-solvent oxidation from a hemp was machined in a ball mill, using balls with a diameter of 10 mm, at room temperature, at a rotation speed of 300 rpm. It was confirmed that the chemical structure of the obtained cellulose has not changed using the IR spectrum. The results of X-ray diffractometry were processed by the Segal method, making sure that the crystallinity index (CI) increased from 58.6% to 65.2%. As a result, it turned out that mechanical activation using a ball mill increases the crystallinity index due to the destruction of amorphous parts without changing the chemical structure of cellulose. This result opens the way for the selective production of the really desired crystalline degree of cellulose by mechanical processing.