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More than 10 million tons of textile waste are disposed through landfill every year in North America. The disposal of textile waste via landfill or incineration causes environmental problems and represents a waste of useful resources. In this work, we explored the possibility to directly extract cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) from untreated textile waste through two methods, namely sulfuric acid hydrolysis and three-step oxidization. CNCs with cellulose Iβ crystalline structure and rod-like shape were successfully obtained. The aspect ratios of CNCs prepared from acid hydrolysis and oxidization were 10.00 ± 3.39 and 17.10 ± 12.85, respectively. Their application as reinforcing agent of soybean protein isolate (SPI) film was evaluated. With the addition of 20% CNCs, the composite film maintained the high transparency, while their water vapor barrier property, tensile strength, and Young’s modulus were significantly improved. This research demonstrates a promising approach to recycle textile waste, and more value-added applications based on the derived CNCs could be expected.

With the advantages in biocompatibility, antimicrobial ability, and comparative facile synthesis technology, poly-L-lysine (PLL) has received considerable attention in recent years. Different arrangement forms and structures of the backbone endow lysine-based polymers with versatile applications, especially for ε-poly-L-lysine (EPL) and lysine-based dendrimer (LBD) compounds. This review summarized the advanced development of the synthesis and modification strategies of EPL and LBD, focus on the modification of bio-synthesis and artificial synthesis, respectively. Meanwhile, biomedical fields, where EPL and LBD are mainly utilized, such as agents, adjuvants, or carriers to anti-pathogen or used in tumor or gene therapies, are also introduced. With the deeper of knowledge of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of the drug system, the design and synthesis of these drugs can be further optimized. Furthermore, the performances of combination with other advanced methodologies and technologies demonstrated that challenges, such as scale production and high expenses, will not hinder the prospective future of lysine-based polymers.

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