The effect of pre-treatment on the production of lignocellulosic nanofibers and their application as a reinforcing agent in paper

Eduardo Espinosa, Juan Domínguez-Robles, Rafael Sánchez, Quim Tarrés, Alejandro Rodríguez*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

51 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In this work, three different lignocellulosic nanofibers (LCNF) were produced from unbleached wheat straw soda pulp by using different pre-treatments: mechanical, enzymatic, and TEMPO [(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl) oxy radical]-mediated oxidation processes. The different LCNF were characterized and studied by their chemical composition (FTIR), crystal structure (XRD), thermal degradation behaviour (TGA), morphological (TEM), and their reinforcement effect on papermaking slurries. The pre-treatment used to obtain LCNF showed significant differences on the nanofibrillation yield (37–95%), carboxyl content (74–362 µmol g−1), cationic demand (428–1116 µeq g−1), and on its dimensions (7–14 nm), thermal stability, and structure. Regarding application as reinforcement on papermaking slurries, LCNF obtained by TEMPO-mediated oxidation produced a greater reinforcing effect than the other LCNF. Nevertheless, the obtained LCNF from mechanical process produce a similar increase in the mechanical properties of the papersheets due to its high length, compared with LCNF obtained by TEMPO-mediated oxidation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2605-2618
JournalCellulose
Volume24
Issue number6
Early online date03 Apr 2017
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01 Jun 2017
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Characterization
  • Enzymatic
  • Isolation
  • Mechanical
  • TEMPO
  • Wheat straw

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Polymers and Plastics

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The effect of pre-treatment on the production of lignocellulosic nanofibers and their application as a reinforcing agent in paper'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this