These findings indicate that extracellular lactate concentration is a reliable sleep/wake biomarker and can be used independently of the EEG signal.

Conversion economics, risk, and financial analyses for an industrial facility manufacturing cellulose micro‐ and nanofibrils (CMNF) from wood pulp is presented. Process data is based on mass and energy balances from a pilot facility in the University of Maine. Here, CMNF is produced from untreated wood pulp by using disk refining, with an assumed production capacity of 50 t (dry metric ton equivalent) per day. Stand‐alone and co‐location manufacturing facilities were simulated and assessed. Minimum product selling prices (MPSP, estimated to achieve a 16% hurdle rate) for different scenarios ranged from USD 1893/t CMNF to USD 2440/t CMNF (dry equivalent). Pulp and energy consumption were identified as major cost drivers. Consequently, it was found that the use of alternative feedstock, in addition to co‐location configuration, can reduce MPSP by 37%. Since estimated MPSP of CMNF is lower than cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) – both estimated to achieve a 16% hurdle rate, we believe market adoption of CMNF in the near term is more promising, regardless of specific applications. This study provides state of the art business intelligence information on the conversion economics, risk, and financial analyses for CMNF manufacturing. Thus, the data represents valuable information to entrepreneurs, R&D scientists, and product developers who plan to adopt CMNF in their processes and products. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

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The production of cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) continues to receive considerable attention because of their desirable material characteristics for a variety of consumer applications. There are, however, challenges that remain in transitioning CNFs from research to widespread adoption in the industrial sectors, including production cost and material performance. This Review covers CNFs produced from nonconventional fibrillation methods as a potential alternative solution. Pretreating biomass by biological, chemical, mechanical, or physical means can render plant feedstocks more facile for processing and thus lower energy requirements to produce CNFs. CNFs from nonconventional fibrillation methods have been investigated for various applications, including films, composites, aerogels, and Pickering emulsifiers. Continued research is needed to develop protocols to standardize the characterization (e.g., degree of fibrillation) of the lignocellulosic fibrillation processes and resulting CNF products to make them more attractive to the industry for specific product applications.

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