Production of high-purity cellulose, cellulose acetate and cellulose-silica composite from babassu coconut shells.

•Organosolv cellulose with high-purity was extracted from babassu coconut shells.•Solid-state 13C NMR and SEM were used as the main characterization tools.•Cellulose-silica composites with fibrous texture were obtained.•The possibility of synthesis of cellulose acetate was also demonstrated.•The results illustrate the potential applications of this abundant agro-waste.