Evaluation of Lignocellulosic Components in Vegetable Waste for Sustainable Material Development

Abstract: -This study investigates the potential of vegetable market waste as a sustainablelignocellulosic resource for cellulose extraction and biodegradable bioplastic production.Common vegetable residues, including cabbage leaves, cauliflower leaves, spinach stems,carrot peels, and potato peels, were collected from local markets and analysed using the VanSoest detergent fibre method to determine their structural carbohydrate composition. Theresults revealed that Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF) ranged from 42.5% to 58.7%, AcidDetergent Fiber (ADF) from 28.4% to 41.2%, and Acid Detergent Lignin (ADL) from 9.8%to 13.8%. The calculated cellulose content varied between 18.6% and 27.4%, whilehemicellulose ranged from 14.1% to 17.5%. Among the samples, cabbage and cauliflowerleaves exhibited higher cellulose content, indicating their suitability as raw materials forcellulose extraction.Cellulose was extracted through alkaline treatment followed by ecofriendly bleaching, yielding 29.7% to 36.8%, with cabbage leaves showing the highestrecovery. The extracted cellulose was used to prepare biodegradable films via solvent casting.Mechanical analysis demonstrated that plasticizer addition improved flexibility, withelongation at break increasing from 6.4% to 21.6%, while tensile strength decreased slightly.Thermal analysis indicated stability up to 250–270°C.The findings confirm that vegetablewaste contains appreciable lignocellulosic components suitable for sustainable biomaterialdevelopment. This study highlights a cost-effective and eco-friendly approach for convertingagricultural waste into value-added biodegradable materials, contributing to wastemanagement and circular bioeconomy.