Sustainable Production of Stiff and Crystalline Bacterial Cellulose from Orange Peel Extract

Sanosh Kunjalukkal Padmanabhan, Francesca Lionetto, Rossella Nisi, Mariangela Stoppa and Antonio Licciulli
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Sanosh Kunjalukkal Padmanabhan: Department of Engineering for Innovation, University of Salento, Via Arnesano, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Francesca Lionetto: Department of Engineering for Innovation, University of Salento, Via Arnesano, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Rossella Nisi: Biofaber Srl, Via Luigi di Savoia, 19, 72023 Mesagne, Italy
Mariangela Stoppa: Biofaber Srl, Via Luigi di Savoia, 19, 72023 Mesagne, Italy
Antonio Licciulli: Department of Engineering for Innovation, University of Salento, Via Arnesano, 73100 Lecce, Italy

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 4, 1-12

Abstract: In this work, a potentially economic and environmentally friendly method for the synthesis of bacterial cellulose (BC) by Gluconacetobacter xylinus from a biomass containing orange peel extract was evaluated. Orange peel extract was used as a culture medium without any hydrolysis treatment, thus speeding up the synthesis procedure. The efficacy of orange peel as a carbon source was compared with that of sucrose. The orange peel extract formed thicker cellulose gels than those formed using sucrose. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed both a high crystallinity index and crystallite size of BC nanofibers in samples obtained from orange peel (BC_Orange). Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) revealed a highly densely packed nanofibrous structure (50 nm in diameter). BC_Orange presented a two-fold increase in water holding capacity (WHC), and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) showed a 44% increase in storage modulus compared to sucrose derived BC. These results showed that the naturally available carbon sources derived from orange peel extract can be effectively used for BC production. The orange-based culture medium can be considered a profitable alternative to the generation of high-value products in a virtuous circular economy model.

Keywords: bacterial cellulose; biopolymer; agro-industrial waste; biomass; viscoelastic properties; biomaterials; bioprocess; orange peel waste (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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