**2.1 Acid-base and Organosolv cellulose isolation methods**

For acid-base isolation; DPW (5 g) extractive-free sample of particle size 180 μm was placed in a 250-mL beaker and leached with 200 mL of 0.1 M HCl while heating at 100°C for 2 h under stirring at 150 rpm. After vacuum filtration, the cellulose and lignin-rich residue was washed with 20 mL of deionized water to remove any residual hemicellulose and then air dried overnight. The hemicellulose was solubilized by HCl and heating due to its labile nature making it easy to dissolve out of the lignocellulose complex. The cellulose- and lignin-rich residue was further treated with 200 mL of 0.1 M NaOH while heating at 100°C for 2 h under constant stirring at 150 rpm. After subsequent vacuum filtration of the mixture, the cellulose-rich residue was washed with 20 mL of 0.1 M NaOH to remove any residual lignin. The isolated cellulose was air dried under laboratory conditions overnight prior to characterization.

For Organosolv isolation, DPW were isolated using methanol/water solvents as reported in literature, with some modifications [14]. The 6.7 g sample of particle size 180 μm was placed in high pressure/temperature reactor vessel (Parr 4848, U.S.A). A mixture of 84 mL sulfuric acid (0.045 N), 13.4 mL formaldehyde (37 wt.%), and 84 mL methanol was added to the reactor vessel containing the sample. The reactor was sealed and purged with nitrogen gas (6–10 bars), and the reaction was performed for 1 h at 160°C under constant stirring at 700 rpm. The product mixture was vacuum filtered after cooling to room temperature. The cellulose-rich residues were air dried overnight prior to characterization, and the yield was determined by a gravimetric analysis technique. The ultimate analysis was conducted, and the results are recorded in **Table 1**.
