How to Extract Cellulose From Grass

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Things You'll Need

  • Grass

  • Large beakers

  • Strainer

  • Water

  • Coffee filter

  • Large spoon

Extracting cellulose from grass

Grass is made of chlorophyll, cellulose and water. Cellulose is the substance that makes up most of a plant's cell walls. Because people do not possess the necessary enzymes to break down cellulose, we can't digest it. However, it has many valuable uses. When extracted from plants, cellulose is often used in paper products, cotton, linen, rayon for clothes, and much more. You don't need expensive equipment to extract the components that make up grass.

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Step 1

Take a large beaker and add 100 mL of water to it.

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Step 2

Add a source of cellulose to the beaker and begin stirring it with a large spoon until the liquid inside the beaker is a dark, deep green color.

Step 3

Place a coffee filter inside a strainer and place the strainer over a separate beaker.

Step 4

Filter off the solution from inside the first beaker to remove any grass particles. Doing so will extract the chlorophyll from the grass.

Step 5

Allow the grass mulch to completely dry. With the water and chlorophyll now extracted, cellulose is the only remaining component.

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