Assessing cellulose nanofiber production from olive tree pruning residue

作者：Fillat Ursula^*; Wicklein Bernd; Martin Sampedro Raquel; Ibarra David; Ruiz Hitzky Eduardo; Valencia Concepcion; Sarrion Andres; Castro Eulogio; Eugenia Eugenio Maria

来源：Carbohydrate Polymers, 2018, 179: 252-261.

DOI：10.1016/j.carbpol.2017.09.072

• Olive tree pruning
• Agricultural residue
• Cellulose nanofibers
• TEMPO-mediated oxidation

Pruning operation in olive trees generates a large amount of biomass that is normally burned causing severe environmental concern. Therefore, the transformation of this agricultural residue into value-added products is imperative but still remains as a technological challenge.
In this study, olive tree pruning (OTP) residue is evaluated for the first time to produce cellulose nanofibers (CNF). The OTP bleached pulp was treated by TEMPO-mediated oxidation and subsequent defibrillation in a microfluidizer. The resulting CNF was characterized and compared to CNF obtained from a commercial bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp using the same chemi-mechanical procedure.
CNF from OTP showed higher carboxylate content but lower fibrillation yield and optical transmittance as compared to eucalyptus CNF. Finally, the visco-elastic gel obtained from OTP was stronger than that produced from eucalyptus. Therefore, the properties of CNF from OTP made this nanomaterial suitable for several applications.
CNF from OTP showed higher carboxylate content as compared to eucalyptus CNF (1038 vs. 778 mu mol/g) but lower fibrillation yield (48% vs. 96%) and optical transmittance. Finally, the visco-elastic gel obtained from OTP was stronger than that produced from eucalyptus. Therefore, the properties of CNF from OTP made this nanomaterial suitable for several applications.

• 出版日期2018-1-1