In this study, carbon tubular membranes were produced by employing P84 co-polyimide as a precursor material and nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) as an additive. The synthesized NCC which was derived from recycled newspaper was used as a pore forming agent for the membrane. Various carbonization temperatures (600, 700, 800, and 900 degrees C) were used while the stabilization temperature was kept at 300 degrees C. The measurements of pure gases' (He, H-2, and N-2) permeance through all carbon tubular membranes produced were carried out at feed pressure of 8 bars. The results showed that higher carbonization temperatures resulted in more selective but less productive carbon membranes. The outcome of this study suggested that carbon tubular membrane fabricated from NCC blending with P84 co-polyimide as a promising candidate for H-2 and He recovery application with H-2/N-2 and He/N-2 selectivity of 434.68 +/- 1.39 and 463.86 +/- 8.12, respectively. (C) 2017 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.