Jute fibres have been used as raw material for cellulose microfibril isolation using two chemical treatments: acid delignification and acetylation to purify the obtained cellulose. Combined with these methods fibres were mechanically treated in order to fibrillate the fibres and microfibrils obtained after each chemical treatment. The isolated microfibrils were treated with palmitic acid in order to obtain a long hydrocarbon chain able to retain organic molecules in water. In this way, palmitic anhydride was firstly obtained from the reaction of palmitic acid and acetic anhydride and used in a second step to esterify cellulose microfibrils promoting the reaction between the carbonyl groups of the obtained anhydride and the hydroxyl groups of cellulosic chains by the addition of 4-(Dimethylamino)pyridine (DMAP) as catalyst. Treated fibres were characterised by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy and contact angle measurements. Retention of organic molecules was determined by using ultraviolet spectroscopy. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.