Isolation of Cellulose Nanofibers: Effect of Biotreatment on Hydrogen Bonding Network in Wood Fibers

The use of cellulose nanofibres as high-strength reinforcement in nano-biocomposites is very enthusiastically being explored due to their biodegradability, renewability, and high specific strength properties. Cellulose, through a regular network of inter- and intramolecular hydrogen bonds, is organized into perfect stereoregular configuration called microfibrils which further aggregate to different levels to form the fibre. Intermolecular hydrogen bonding at various levels, especially at the elementary level, is the major binding force that one need to overcome to reverse engineer these fibres into their microfibrillar level. This paper briefly describes a novel enzymatic fibre pretreatment developed to facilitate the isolation of cellulose microfibrils and explores effectiveness of biotreatment on the intermolecular and intramolecular hydrogen bonding in the fiber. Bleached Kraft Softwood Pulp was treated with a fungus (OS1) isolated from elm tree infected with Dutch elm disease. Cellulose microfibrils were isolated from these treated fibers by high-shear refining. The % yield of nanofibres and their diameter distribution (<50 nm) isolated from the bio-treated fibers indicated a substantial increase compared to those isolated from untreated fibers. FT-IR spectral analysis indicated a reduction in the density of intermolecular and intramolecular hydrogen bonding within the fiber. X-ray spectrometry indicated a reduction in the crystallinity. Hydrogen bond-specific enzyme and its application in the isolation of new generation cellulose nano-fibers can be a huge leap forward in the field of nano-biocomposites

Morphological and thermo-mechanical characterization of open-cell spray polyurethane foamed wall insulation modified with cellulose fiber

Open-cell spray polyurethane foam insulation was prepared using soy-based polyol and water as blowing agent. Cellulose fiber was embedded in polymer matrix as reinforcement and the effects of fiber on morphological changes, as well as thermal and mechanical properties of the foam insulation were investigated. The foam was characterized at cellular level by FTIR and SEM and it was demonstrated that incorporation of fiber in open-cell foam insulation altered the foaming structure. Cell density increased and became more homogeneous. Bulk density and compressive strength of the composite foam system were improved. Thermal effectiveness of the composite foam was improved at lower fiber concentration. Moisture permeability was reduced. However,at higher fiber content the reinforcement effect weakened due to agglomeration of fiber.Key words: Polyurethane; Polyol; Isocyanate; Cellulose fiber; Cross-linking; Urethane; Urea; Hard and soft segments; Open-cell; Composite foa

Efficacy of biopolymer/starch based antimicrobial packaging for chicken breast fillets

Food contamination leading to the spoilage and growth of undesirable bacteria, which can occur at any stage along the food chain, is a significant problem in the food industry. In the present work, biopolymer polybutylene succinate (PBS) and polybutylene succinate/tapioca starch (PBS/TPS) films incorporating Biomaster-silver (BM) and SANAFOR® (SAN) were prepared and tested as food packaging to improve the lifespan of fresh chicken breast fillets when kept in a chiller for seven days. The incorporation of BM and SAN into both films demonstrated antimicrobial activity and could prolong the storability of chicken breast fillets until day 7. However, PBS + SAN 2%, PBS/TPS + SAN 1%, and PBS/TPS + SAN 2% films showed the lowest microbial log growth. In quality assessment, incorporation of BM and SAN into both film types enhanced the quality of the chicken breast fillets. However, PBS + SAN 1% film showed the most notable enhancement of chicken breast fillet quality, as it minimized color variation, slowed pH increment, decreased weight loss, and decelerated the hardening process of the chicken breast fillets. Therefore, we suggest that the PBS + SAN and PBS/TPS + SAN films produced in this work have potential use as antimicrobial packaging in the future

PROTEIN EXTRACTION FROM SECONDARY SLUDGE OF PAPER MILL WASTEWATER AND ITS UTILIZATION AS A WOOD ADHESIVE

In this study, secondary sludge (SS) from a kraft paper mill was used as a source of biomass to recover protein and investigate its potential use as a wood adhesive. The process of protein recovery involved disruption of the floc structure in alkaline medium to disintegrate and release intercellular contents into the aqueous phase followed by separation of soluble protein. Finally, the soluble protein was subjected to low pH precipitation and the pelletized sludge protein, referred to as recovered sludge protein (RSP) was tested for crude protein, moisture, and other contents. A significant process yield of 90% in terms of precipitation of soluble protein from disintegrated sludge was estimated through calorimetric studies, whereas an overall material balance confirmed a RSP yield of up to 23% based on total suspended solids of raw sludge. The RSP containing 30% crude protein was used as a wood adhesive and its adhesion performance was compared with soy protein isolate (SPI) and phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin. The testing of plywood lap joints has shown up to 41% shear strength level of RSP adhesive compared to PF. This work demonstrates the technical feasibility and potential of SS as a biomass resource to develop eco-friendly adhesives for wood composite applications

The effect of chemically coated nanofiber reinforcement on biopolymer based nanocomposites

The aim of this work was to explore how various surface treatments would change the dispersion component of surface energy and acid-base character of hemp nanofibers, using inverse gas chromatography (IGC), and to investigate the effect of the incorporation of these modified nanofibers into a biopolymer matrix on the properties of their nano-composites. Bio-nanocomposite materials were prepared from poly (lactic acid) (PLA) and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) as the matrix, and the cellulose nanofibers extracted from hemp fiber by chemo-mechanical treatments. Cellulose fibrils have a high density of –OH groups on the surface, which have a tendency to form hydrogen bonds with adjacent fibrils, reducing interaction with the surrounding matrix. It is necessary to reduce the entanglement of the fibrils and improve their dispersion in the matrix by surface modification of fibers without deteriorating their reinforcing capability. The IGC results indicated that styrene maleic anhydride coated and ethylene-acrylic acid coated fibers improved their potential to interact with both acidic and basic resins. From transmission electron microscopy (TEM), it was shown that the nanofibers were partially dispersed in the polymer matrix. The mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were lower than those predicted by theoretical calculations for both nanofiber-reinforced biopolymers

TARGETED DISRUPTION OF HYDROXYL CHEMISTRY AND CRYSTALLINITY IN NATURAL FIBERS FOR THE ISOLATION OF CELLULOSE NANO-FIBERS VIA ENZYMATIC TREATMENT

Cellulose is the Earth’s most abundant biopolymer. Exploiting its environmentally friendly attributes such as biodegradability, renewability, and high specific strength properties are limited by our inability to isolate them from the secondary cell wall in an economical manner. Intermolecular and intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the cellulose chains is the major force one needs to overcome in order to isolate the cellulose chain in its microfibrillar form. This paper describes how a hydrogen bond-specific enzyme disrupts the crystallinity of the cellulose, bringing about internal defibrillation within the cell wall. Bleached kraft softwood pulp was treated with a fungus (OS1) isolated from an elm tree infected with Dutch elm disease. FT-IR spectral analysis indicated a significant reduction in the density of intermolecular and intramolecular hydrogen bonding within the fiber. X-ray spectrometry indicated a reduction in the crystallinity. The isolated nano-cellulose fibers also exhibited better mechanical strength compared to those isolated through conventional methods. The structural disorder created in the crystalline region in the plant cell wall by hydrogen bond-specific enzymes is a key step forward in the isolation of cellulose at its microfibrillar level

Enhancement of Mechanical Properties of Flax-Epoxy Composite with Carbon Fibre Hybridisation for Lightweight Applications

The effect of unidirectional (UD) carbon fibre hybridisation on the tensile properties of flax fibre epoxy composite was investigated. Composites containing different fibre ply orientations were fabricated using vacuum infusion with a symmetrical ply structure of 0/+45/&minus;45/90/90/&minus;45/+45/0. Tensile tests were performed to characterise the tensile performance of plain flax/epoxy, carbon/flax/epoxy, and plain carbon/epoxy composite laminates. The experimental results showed that the carbon/flax fibre hybrid system exhibited significantly improved tensile properties over plain flax fibre composites, increasing the tensile strength from 68.12 MPa for plain flax/epoxy composite to 517.66 MPa (670% increase) and tensile modulus from 4.67 GPa for flax/epoxy to 18.91 GPa (305% increase) for carbon/flax hybrid composite. The failure mechanism was characterised by examining the fractured surfaces of tensile tested specimens using environmental scanning electron microscopy (E-SEM). It was evidenced that interactions between hybrid ply interfaces and strain to failure of the reinforcing fibres were the critical factors for governing tensile properties and failure modes of hybrid composites

Preliminary Design and Experimental Investigation of a Novel Pneumatic Conveying Method to Disperse Natural Fibers in Thermoset Polymers

Natural fibers can be attractive reinforcing materials in thermosetting polymers due to their low density and high specific mechanical properties. Although the research effort in this area has grown substantially over the last 20 years, manufacturing technologies to make use of short natural fibers in high volume fraction composites; are still limited. Natural fibers, after retting and preprocessing, are discontinuous and easily form entangled bundles. Dispersion and mixing these short fibers with resin to manufacture high quality, high volume fraction composites presents a significant challenge. In this paper, a novel pneumatic design for dispersion of natural fibers in their original discontinuous form is described. In this design, compressed air is used to create vacuum to feed and convey fibres while breaking down fibre clumps and dispersing them in an aerosolized resin stream. Model composite materials, made using proof-of-concept prototype equipment, were imaged with both optical and X-ray tomography to evaluate fibre and resin dispersion. The images indicated that the system was capable of providing an intimate mixture of resin and detangled fibres for two different resin viscosities. The new pneumatic process could serve as the basis of a system to produce well-dispersed high-volume fraction composites containing discontinuous natural fibres drawn directly from a loosely packed source