Miscanthus x giganteus stalks were used to make organosolvent pulp and nanocellulose. The organosolvent miscanthus pulp (OMP) was obtained through thermal treatment in the mixture of glacial acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide at the first stage and the alkaline treatment at the second stage. Hydrolysis of the never-dried OМP was carried out by a solution of sulfuric acid with concentrations of 43% and 50% and followed by ultrasound treatment. Structural changes and the crystallinity index of OMP and nanocellulose were studied by SEM and FTIR methods. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed an increase in the crystallinity of OMP and nanocellulose as a result of thermochemical treatment. We show that nanocellulose has a density of up to 1.6 g/cm3, transparency up to 82%, and a crystallinity index of 76.5%. The AFM method showed that the particles of nanocellulose have a diameter in the range from 10 to 20 nm. A thermogravimetric analysis confirmed that nanocellulose films have a denser structure and lower mass loss in the temperature range of 320–440°C compared to OMP. The obtained nanocellulose films have high tensile strength up to 195 MPa. The nanocellulose obtained from OMP exhibits the improved properties for the preparation of new nanocomposite materials.

We present the study of the preparation of pulp and nanocellulose from Miscanthus × giganteus to improve the quality of the paper for bags. The organosolv miscanthus pulp (OMP) was prepared by the environmentally friendly organosolv method-cooking in a solution of peracetic acid at the first stage and the alkaline treatment at the second stage. Nanocellulose was obtained by hydrolysis of never-dried OMP and subsequent ultrasonic treatment. Structural changes and crystallinity index of OMP and nanocellulose were studied by SEM and FTIR methods. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed an increase in the crystallinity of OMP and nanocellulose as a result of thermochemical treatment. The nanocellulose had a density of up to 1.6 g/cm 3 , transparency up to 82%, a crystallinity index of 76.5%, and tensile strength up to 195 MPa. The AFM showed that the particles of nanocellulose have a diameter in the range from 10 to 20 nm. A TGA analysis confirmed that nanocellulose films have a denser structure and lower mass loss in the temperature range 320-440 °C compared to OMP. We established the positive effect of nanocellulose application on the physical and mechanical properties of paper for bags. The application of nanocellulose allows replacing synthetic reinforcing materials and more expensive sulfate unbleached pulp with waste paper in the production of paper and cardboard.

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