Infrared spectra of jute stick bleached with sodium chlorite and hydrogen peroxide

Jute stick was bleached with sodium chlorite and alkaline hydrogen peroxide solutions. The infrared (IR) spectra of bleached samples and jute stick were analyzed and compared. The bleached samples were characterized by higher absorbance intensity ratios (A_v/A₂₉₀₀) of the bands attributed to hemicellulose. Among the bleached samples the chlorite-bleached sample showed higher intensity for the bands mentioned. The bands attributed to lignin are either absent or very weak in the chlorite-bleached jute stick as compared to that of peroxide-bleached jute stick, although some residual lignin was present in the substrate. The 1635 cm⁻¹ band attribute to the vibration of adsorbed water molecules in the noncrystalline regions in cellulose appears as a sharp peak in chlorite-bleached jute stick and as a shoulder in peroxide-bleached jute stick. This can be attributed to the difference in the nature of the two bleaching processes.