Scalable Preparation of Cellulose Nanofibers from Office Waste Paper by an Environment-Friendly Method

Abstract

Waste paper is often underutilized as a low-value recyclable resource and can be a potential source of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) due to its rich cellulose content. Three different processes, low acid treatment, alkali treatment and bleaching treatment, were used to pretreat the waste paper in order to investigate the effect of different pretreatments on the prepared CNFs, and CNFs obtained from bleached pulp boards were used as control. All sample fibers were successfully prepared into CNFs by 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) oxidation. It was quite obvious that the bleached CNFs samples showed dense fibrous structures on a scanning electron microscopy (SEM), while needle-like fibers with width less than 20 nm were observed on a transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Meanwhile, the bleaching treatment resulted in a 13.5% increase in crystallinity and a higher TEMPO yield (e.g., BCNF, 60.88%), but a decrease in thermal stability. All pretreated CNFs samples showed narrow particle size distribution, good dispersion stability (zeta potential less than −29.58 mV), good light transmission (higher than 86.5%) and low haze parameters (lower than 3.92%). This provides a good process option and pathway for scalable production of CNFs from waste papers.

Characterization and Antifungal Activity of Lemongrass Essential Oil-Loaded Nanoemulsion Stabilized by Carboxylated Cellulose Nanofibrils and Surfactant

“…The peaks found between 890 and 1100 cm −1 have been reported to be associated with the C-H vibration and C-O stretch of cellulose [37]. Specifically, the small peak at 897 cm −1 represents the β-glycosidic linkage of cellulose [38]. The significant peaks displayed by all samples at around 1030 cm −1 indicate the C-O stretch bonds characteristic of esters, confirming the cellulose structure of samples.…”

“…The peaks observed at around 1240 cm −1 for corn stover after washing (CS) and corn stover after bleaching treatment (CS-BT) denote the aryl group of lignin whereas it is not found for the alkaline treated sample and TEMPO-CNF, indicating the removal of lignin. The peak at 1430 cm −1 referring to symmetrical CH 2 bending is present for CS, CS-BT, as well as corn stover after bleaching and alkaline treatment (CS-BAT) samples, but the peak shifted to 1408 cm −1 in the corn stover after TEMPO oxidation (TEMPO-CNF) sample indicating the formation of new hydrogen bonds [38].…”

“…the aryl group of lignin whereas it is not found for the alkaline treated sample and TEMPO-CNF, indicating the removal of lignin. The peak at 1430 cm −1 referring to symmetrical CH2 bending is present for CS, CS-BT, as well as corn stover after bleaching and alkaline treatment (CS-BAT) samples, but the peak shifted to 1408 cm −1 in the corn stover after TEMPO oxidation (TEMPO-CNF) sample indicating the formation of new hydrogen bonds [38]. CS exhibits a characteristic peak around 1604 cm −1 linked to C-C stretch aromatic bonds.…”

Nanocellulose-Based Hybrid Scaffolds for Skin and Bone Tissue Engineering: A 10-Year Overview

“…Waste paper that is recycled is a rich source of cellulose where the lignin and hemicellulose content will be absent. Huang et al extracted good quality CNFs from office waste paper through TEMPO oxidation. , Waste paper from municipal solid waste was used to extract nanocellulose. After several pretreatments, nanofibrillation was used to produce CNFs .…”

A Biodegradable Composite of Poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) with Short Cellulose Fiber for Packaging

“…Cellulose is an attractive source of filler, since in addition to being widely used, in the polymer matrix in packaging [14][15][16][17] . Recycled paper has potential as a source of low-cost cellulose fibers 18,19 .…”