En este artículo se presentan los resultados obtenidos en la caracterización química y morfológicade las hojas de mazorca de maíz (Zea mays) y del bagazo de caña (Saccharum officinarum L.).Se analizaron porcentajes de α-celulosa, holocelulosa, lignina y cenizas, según las Normas Tappi paracada componente y el método de Jayme-Wise. Se determinaron las propiedades biométricas de lasfibras de cada planta (longitud y diámetro, grosor de la pared y diámetro del lumen). Además, se estimaronlos índices de calidad de pulpa para papel. Este estudio se hizo con la finalidad de tener informaciónde ambas plantas para su posterior tratamiento de pulpeo, blanqueo y mezcla, para la obtenciónde una pulpa celulósica óptima, a partir de sus residuos. Los resultados indican que el contenidode holocelulosa en las hojas de mazorca se encuentra en el intervalo de los materiales usados comúnmenteen la producción de pulpa para papel y es cercano al observado en el bagazo de caña. Lacaracterización morfológica de las fibras mostró que la longitud de las mismas es muy parecida, noasí el ancho, el espesor y el lumen. Las hojas de mazorca de maíz presentaron fibra con mejorescaracterísticas para la fabricación de una pulpa óptima, al situarse en el intervalo de “muy buena”,según la clasificación de Runkel. Por su parte, la fibra de bagazo de caña, presentó características“buenas”.

High purity cellulose nanocrystals (NCCs) were obtained through the generation of various nanoparticle suspensions from different hydrolysis conditions of soluble grade cellulose (α-cellulose) prepared from huizache wood (Acacia farnesiana L. Willd.). These NCCs exhibited different surface morphologies and properties. Hydrolysis was carried out using both sulfuric and hydrochloric acids, while the methodology was based on 23 factorial designs of experiments. The obtained nanocrystals were characterized for particle size distribution, morphology, size of the NCCs, residual surface charge of the nanoparticles, and chemical composition using various experimental techniques. The two acid hydrolysis procedures produced NCCs suspensions that exhibited a unimodal or bimodal pattern of the Gaussian type, but differed in their properties. Average NCCs particle size obtained by hydrolysis with different concentrations (60 to 65%), at different temperatures (45 to 55 oC) and treatment times (45 to 65 mins) with H2SO4 acid and HCl acid were approximately 100 to 260 nm and between 75 nm to 512 nm, respectively, indicating influence of concentration and treatment time with both acids. Also, residual load analysis of sulphate groups in the NCCs suspensions in producing NCCs by H2SO4 hydrolysis revealed a minimum load of 39 mmol/kg and a maximum of 505 mmol/kg of NCCs.

Considering that many paper mills have modified their pulp manufacturing processes to produce dissolving grade pulps from a wide variety of woods, which can be used for the production of different end products, attempts have also been made to obtain highly purified pulps using several woods and non-timber as raw materials using chemical routes. This paper is an attempt to overcome the problem of the shortage of commercial timber for pulping purposes wherein non-commercial, widely distributed huizache, a woody plant, was evaluated as a raw material for the production of dissolving grade cellulose using an alkaline sulfur anthraquinone-methanol process with a pre-hydrolysis step and optimized conditions of the process. The pulp obtained from the cooking process was subjected to a sequence of elemental chlorine free bleaching. The pulp was analyzed for its performance during the pulping process, Kappa number, ISO brightness, contents of α, β, and γ cellulose, crystallinity index, degree of polymerization, and viscosity. The obtained results revealed high levels of all these parameters for the pulp produced from Acacia farnesiana, suggesting this plant could be considered as a raw material alternative for the production of dissolving grade cellulose, which in turn can be used to produce nanocellulose crystals.