Isolation and Characterization of Nanofibrillar Cellulose from Agave tequilana Weber Bagasse

Abstract

The bagasse of Agave tequilana Weber is one of the most abundant agroindustrial wastes in the state of Jalisco. However, at the present time, there is no technical use for this waste, and its high availability makes it an environmental problem. The objective of this research was to take advantage of this waste and give it an added value to be used in the elaboration of advanced materials. In this sense, the agave bagasse cellulose was obtained using an organosolv method. To obtain the nanofibrils, the cellulose was passed through 6 cycles of a microfluidizer. The material was classified by FTIR, confirming the presence of the functional groups (O-H, C-H, C-C, and C-O-C), characteristics of cellulose, and the elimination of hemicellulose and lignin present in agave bagasse without treatment. The X-ray diffraction technique allowed the determination of the degree of crystallinity of the cellulose nanofibers, which was 68.5%, with a negative zeta potential of −42 mV. The images from the atomic force microscopy helped for the observation of the degree of fibrillation in the cellulose, and with the software ImageJ, the average diameter of the nanofibers was determined to be 75 ± 5 nm with a relatively uniform length of 1.0–1.2 μm. Finally, by means of thermogravimetric analysis, it was found that the obtained cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) supported high temperatures of thermal decomposition, so it was concluded that due to the diameter of the fibrils, the high resistance to pressure, and elasticity, the nanofibrils obtained in this investigation can be used in the elaboration of advanced materials.

Nanocellulose and Polycaprolactone Nanospun Composite Membranes and Their Potential for the Removal of Pollutants from Water

“…The adsorption at 3335 cm −1 is due to the stretching of hydroxyl groups (OH) and, at 2895 cm −1 , is due to C-H stretching. The peaks at 1140 and 1060 cm −1 are attributed to C=O, C-C, and C-O groups, and the peaks at 905 cm −1 correspond to C-O-C bending [7]. In the PCL spectrum ( Figure 2), we can easily identify strong bands, such as carbonyl (C=O), stretching around 1723 cm −1 .…”

“…Agave bagasse is an abundant source of lignocellulosic biomass [7][8][9][10], produced mainly in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. This solid, fibrous by-product is obtained after grinding and extracting the fermentable sugars from agave pineapples during tequila production [10].…”

“…The adsorption at 3335 cm −1 is due to the stretching of hydroxyl groups (OH) and, at Molecules 2020, 25, 683 4 of 13 2895 cm −1 , is due to C-H stretching. The peaks at 1140 and 1060 cm −1 are attributed to C=O, C-C, and C-O groups, and the peaks at 905 cm −1 correspond to C-O-C bending [7]. Another important aspect of contaminant retention is the functional groups that may be present in the membranes, because these could interact with the contaminants.…”

“…The availability of such large quantities of agave bagasse [9] poses serious disposal problems, since most of the biomass ends up in clandestine dumps (due to little environmental regulation), causing adverse effects on the fertility of farmland [12], contamination by leachates, and phytosanitary risks due to the inadequate incorporation of this material into the soil [13]. Chemically, agave bagasse is 44.5% cellulose, 25.3% hemicellulose, and 20.1% lignin [7]. Taking advantage of these constituents, there have been many efforts to use agave bagasse for various applications, e.g., the production of biopolymers [14,15], composting [16], animal nutrition [17], generation of biofuels [10,18], reinforcement materials [19], etc.…”

“…Taking advantage of these constituents, there have been many efforts to use agave bagasse for various applications, e.g., the production of biopolymers [14,15], composting [16], animal nutrition [17], generation of biofuels [10,18], reinforcement materials [19], etc. More recently, agave bagasse is being explored for the production of cellulose nanofibers and nanocrystals [7,8,20,21] to further diversify the utilization of this biowaste. On the other hand, electro-spinning of biopolymers has become popular in the manufacture of nanofibers for a variety of added value applications, such as tissue engineering, drug release, sensors, and air and liquid filtration systems [22][23][24][25][26].Our main interest in electro-spinning agave cellulose nanofibers was to produce membranes that can retain suspended particles in water (due to the diameter of the fibers), a membrane with high porosity and good surface area properties.…”