Cellulose nanofiber isolated from industrial side-streams

• Isolation of cellulose nanofibers from industrial side-streams as raw material is interesting from several reasons; it will not only result in lower overall cost of the nanofibers but also add value for many different processes and products. We have used sludge, a residue from pulp production, carrot residue from juice production, and several agricultural waste products as the starting material to isolate nanofibers. The isolation process was made using a Masuko ultra fine friction grinder and our aim have been to optimize the processing parameters for the lowest energy consumption. In addition to developing the isolation process, the isolated nanofibers structure and properties were characterized. Typically, the isolated nanofibers are bundles with diameters lower than 100 nm. In particular, we found that carrot nanofibers have a uniform fiber size less than 50 nm. Scanning electron microscopy studies showed entangled nanofiber networks and the mechanical properties of nanofiber networks demonstrated a positive impact on modulus and strength when compared to networks with microsized fibers. The improvement is increased with decreased fiber size indicating more efficient fibrillation. From these studies, we have shown that industrial side-streams are excellent raw material sources for nanofiber preparation, being cheaper than other raw materials and consuming less energy for isolation while showing good properties.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Industriell bioteknik -- Biomaterial (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Industrial Biotechnology -- Bio Materials (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Trä och bionanokompositer

Wood and Bionanocomposites

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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