Eco-Friendly Cellulose Nanofiber Extraction from Sugarcane Bagasse and Film Fabrication

Naresh Shahi, Byungjin Min, Bedanga Sapkota and Vijaya K. Rangari
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Naresh Shahi: Integrative Biosciences Ph.D. Program, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL 36088, USA
Byungjin Min: Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL 36088, USA
Bedanga Sapkota: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL 36088, USA
Vijaya K. Rangari: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL 36088, USA

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 15, 1-15

Abstract: The development of cost-effective cellulose fibers by utilizing agricultural residues have been attracted by the scientific community in the past few years; however, a facile production route along with minimal processing steps and a significant reduction in harsh chemical use is still lacking. Here, we report a straightforward ultrasound-assisted method to extract cellulose nanofiber (CNF) from fibrous waste sugarcane bagasse. X-ray diffraction-based crystallinity calculation showed 25% increase in the crystallinity of the extracted CNF (61.1%) as compared to raw sugarcane bagasse (35.1%), which is coherent with Raman studies. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) images revealed thread-like CNF structures. Furthermore, we prepared thin films of the CNF using hot press and solution casting method and compared their mechanical properties. Our experiments demonstrated that hot press is a more effective way to produce high strength CNF films; Young’s modulus of the thin films prepared from the hot press was ten times higher than the solution casting method. Our results suggest that a combination of ultrasound-based extraction and hot press-based film preparation is an efficient route of producing high strength CNF films.

Keywords: ultrasonication; CNF films; biomass; sustainable (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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