Testing of medical tablets produced with microcrystalline cellulose prepared from agricultural wastes

Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was prepared from bleached bagasse and rice‐straw pulps by hydrolysis using hydrochloric or sulfuric acids. Samples of the prepared MCC were analyzed using XRD, SEM, and elemental analysis. The analyses indicated that the properties of the prepared MCC were similar to commercial MCC. The MCC samples were mixed with pharmaceutical formulations to form tablets of linezolid and rosuvastatin‐calcium using two different methods; wet and direct compression. The pharmaceutical properties of the resulting tablets were investigated for: hardness, disintegration, and dissolution; in comparison with tablets produced with commercial MCC. The results showed that MCC samples from bagasse and straw pulp have properties closely similar to the commercial product. POLYM. COMPOS., 35:1343–1349, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers